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Leeds United‘s offer for a defender they are trying to bring in is ‘too low’, but there remains the feeling that the deal ‘can be closed’.
The Elland Road side have just agreed a two-year contract with attacker Lukas Nmecha, which will see him join on a free transfer when his deal with Wolfsburg – who offered him a fresh contract taking into account his injury issues – runs out at the end of the month.
Nmecha is expected to be just one of a raft of new signings at Leeds this summer as Daniel Farke aims to make the squad Premier League ready.
Adding another centre-back is high on the agenda and Leeds have been seeking to sign Udinese’s Jaka Bijol.
The talks have taken on a sense of urgency, but according to Italian outlet Tutto Mercato, Leeds’ offer is ‘too low’ at £14m.
They will need to up their bid to £17m, but it is suggested that ‘the feeling is that it can be closed’.
Bijol appears to be sold on a move to Leeds if the Whites can agree a fee with Udinese in the coming days and weeks.
| Player | Caps |
|---|---|
| Bostjan Cesar | 101 |
| Bojan Jokic | 100 |
| Jasmin Kurtic | 96 |
| Valter Birsa | 90 |
| Josip Ilicic | 87 |
Udinese have already started to look at potential replacements for the centre-back as they eye rejuvenating their backline.
They conceded 56 goals in their 38 Serie A games last season, a record that was just as bad as Venezia, who finished second from bottom and were relegated.
Leeds currently have Pascal Struijk, Joe Rodon and Ethan Ampadu as their main centre-back options, with Max Wober a potential departure this summer.
Bijol turned out in 34 of Udinese’s 38 Serie A games this season and he went in the referee’s notebook a whopping eleven times.
The Slovenia international, with 63 caps for the country to his name, was also sent off once.
