European club 'optimistic' as second approach prepared for Leeds United man
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Real Betis remain 'optimistic' that they will be able to get a deal done for Diego Llorente this week, according to reports. The La Liga side have already secured a deal to sign Marc Roca from Leeds United this summer and the club have returned to Elland Road with an approach for Llorente.
The club and the player are said to have agreed personal terms on a four year deal with Betis, with the only hold up being the agreement between the two clubs. Leeds have already made the decision to reject one offer for the Spanish defender, with the bid thought to have fallen short of Whites' transfer expectations.
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Hide AdHowever, Betis are ready to make a second offer and according to Mucho Deporte, they believe they will be able to get a deal over the line before too long. The report adds that the Andalusian outfit are keen to strike an agreement for a fee in the region of €4-5 million and with the club due to start pre-season training on Monday, they are keen to get a deal done in order to allow the former Spain international to train with his new teammates on day one.
As such, Leeds can expect a second bid to land for Llorente and should it meet their expectations they will allow the defender to leave the club after spending the last season and a half on loan at Serie A side AS Roma. The expectation was that Llorente would be moving to the Italian capital permanently this summer with a ‘gentleman's agreement’ in place for the club to pay something similar to the above fee.
However, following the end of his second loan spell with the club, a deal has not progressed and it leaves Llorente in the lurch somewhat. As such, Betis have been opportunistic in their approach, and they see Llorente as a strong option to add to their depleted back line.
The Seville club have seen Sokratis Papastathopoulos retire at the age of 36 this summer, while Chadi Riad has joined Crystal Palace, leaving Betis short of centre-back options. Should Llorente make the move, he would be returning to La Liga for the first time since making the move from Real Sociedad to West Yorkshire in 2020.
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Hide AdThe defender, who turns 31 next month, spent three seasons with Sociedad after starting his career at Real Madrid. He has also enjoyed loan spells at Rayo Vallecano and Malaga. The move could see him target a return to the Spain squad, too, with the hope being that playing under the nose of La Roja boss Luis de la Fuente will help him add to his 10 international caps.
Llorente still has two more years left to run on his Leeds contract but his last appearance for the club came in January 2023 in the FA Cup win over Accrington Stanley.