'Even less so' - International reveals feelings about Leeds United exit and future aims

Spanish international centre-back Llorente initially left Leeds back in January to join Serie A outfit Roma on loan for the rest of the campaign. The defender made 12 appearances for Jose Mourinho’s side and the 29-year-old has now re-joined the Italian outfit on a fresh season-long loan deal until June 30 of next year.

Llorente’s first switch to Roma arrived less than one month after signing a new three-and-a-half year deal at Leeds, with whom the centre-back had been restricted to just eight league outings in the 2022-23 campaign before leaving.

But Llorente bagged nine Serie A outings and three Europa League appearances upon joining Roma and the says he always knew he would do “everything possible” to re-join the club for a second time.

“I’m proud to be able to remain part of the Giallorossi family,” said Llorente to asroma.com. “When I had the chance to come to Rome in January, I didn’t hesitate for even a second and even less so during this period of waiting.

"I’ve always known I’d do everything possible to stay, not just to remain part of such a historic club, but also to be back alongside my team-mates to fight together, with our fans getting behind us, to achieve the targets that we deserve. I’m sure we can accomplish something fantastic together.”

Tiago Pinto, Roma’s general manager, added: “Despite arriving halfway through the season, Diego needed very little time to get fully settled into the dressing room and meet the expectations that we had for him on the pitch. That’s why we’re thrilled to be able to keep calling upon his attributes and his wealth of international experience.”