Leeds United tipped to make major loss on loanee as Arsenal slap £35m price-tag on Marcelo Bielsa signing

Leeds United will be putting the finishing touches on their preparation ahead of Sunday’s Championship play-off semi-final first-leg trip to Carrow Road. Daniel Farke heads to former side Norwich City for the second time this season, having won both meetings with the Canaries over the regular campaign.

Leeds must put the disappointment of missing out on automatic promotion behind them with a three-game season potentially seeing them enjoy an instant return to the Premier League alongside Leicester City and Ipswich Town. And ahead of Sunday’s long journey, the YEP has some of the latest stories to come out of Elland Road.

Llorente future

Roma are reportedly ready to make Diego Llorente’s loan move permanent this summer following an impressive spell under Daniele De Rossi. Italian outlet Sia La Roma reports that the Serie A side will enter talks with Leeds over the summer but are only willing to pay a ‘relatively low’ fee.

Llorente is into his second year at Roma after joining on loan in January 2023, and the Spaniard has been a regular starter this season as his side fight for European football. De Rossi took over as manager in January and is said to be a particular fan of the defender’s technical quality.

The report adds that there is no set permanent option in Llorente’s loan deal but Roma will try to negotiate a low fee, given the centre-back has not been in Leeds’ plans for some time. Previous reports have suggested they would be willing to pay as little as £4m.

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Leeds signed Llorente in 2020 for around £18m, and so the aforementioned price would represent a significant loss. The defender still has two years left on a contract he signed in 2022, with one reason being to try and protect his value.

Nketiah price-tag

Arsenal are reportedly prepared to sell Eddie Nketiah this summer if they can sign a new forward first. 90min reports that the Gunners will ask for between £30-35m for the striker, who is attracting interest from across the Premier League.

Nketiah has made 37 appearances for Arsenal this season but rarely been involved in the starting line-up, with Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz preferred. Crystal Palace and Wolves are among the sides eyeing a potential move while there have been some fleeting links to newly-promoted Ipswich.

Now 24, Nketiah is keen to find a home where he can start regularly and that will not come at Arsenal, especially if they sign a new striker. The England international spent half a season on loan at Leeds during the promotion-winning 2019/20 campaign, having been signed by Marcelo Bielsa to replace the outgoing Kemar Roofe.

The striker scored five goals in 19 appearances for the Whites including a brilliant introduction with a late winner at home to Brentford on his Championship debut. He was recalled by Arsenal in January, however, with starts limited as Bielsa stayed loyal to Patrick Bamford.