Inside story behind Leeds United's three-year pursuit of £21 million transfer target

Leeds United’s European scout and long-time Victor Orta confidante Gaby Ruiz had been tracking the Whites’ latest signing for over three years before the Colombian international signed for the club.

£21 million addition from Dutch club Feyenoord, Luis Sinisterra, brought Leeds’ summer spending close to £100 million following the acquisition of Brenden Aaronson, Rasmus Kristensen, Marc Roca, Darko Gyabi and Tyler Adams, all on long-term contracts.

Kalvin Phillips’ £42 million sale to Manchester City and Raphinha’s anticipated departure will see Leeds recoup the vast majority, if not exceed their current outlay on incoming players as Jesse Marsch’s squad has undoubtedly been bolstered ahead of the new season.

The inner workings of football transfers at the highest level are a notoriously cloak-and-dagger affair, with intermediaries, family members and club officials often working in tandem to keep moves under wraps before the grand reveal.

Eagle-eyed Leeds United supporters and youth football enthusiasts may remember Luis Sinisterra’s introduction on the world stage three years ago, however.

The Colombian starred at the FIFA Under-20 World Cup in Poland where Leeds scout Ruiz was more than a casual observer.

Orta’s team of scouts and analysts are renowned for keeping a close eye on the more obscure international tournaments, hoping to identify players who have thus far flown under the radar.

During Ruiz’s U-20 World Cup spectating, the then-teenage Sinisterra caught his eye.

“Overall, the players of Ecuador, Italy and Uruguay have impressed me,” he told FIFA’s media arm. “Italy goalkeeper Alessandro Plizzari has been excellent, as have the defenders Davide Bettella and Raoul Bellanova. Gianluca Scamacca hasn’t scored yet but he’s had three good matches so far. As for Uruguay, I’ve been very impressed by Brian Rodriguez, who I think can look forward to a bright future, as can Nicolas Acevedo.”

“The Ecuador midfield has been superb too, with Alexander Alvarado and Jordan Rezabala, while midfielder Alex Mendez and forward Sebastian Soto have done really well for USA. Not to be outdone, New Zealand players have done some interesting things, not least their left-back Liberato Cacace.

“I like Luis Sinisterra and Ivan Angulo of Colombia a lot. France’s Moussa Diaby and Amine Gouiri have shown that they have big futures ahead of them too.”

At the time, Sinisterra had already been signed by Eredivisie side Feyenoord, from Colombian outfit Once Caldas where his career began.

His European experience was somewhat limited at this stage, though, and Sinisterra was yet to hit the heights of last season where he directly contributed to some 38 goals in all competitions for his previous employers.

Following his U-20 World Cup exploits, Sinisterra developed gradually with an encouraging start to the 2019/20 campaign, but his progress was derailed by a cruciate ligament rupture in February 2020, robbing him of ten months on the pitch.

During that time, some of the other names Ruiz selected from the 2019 tournament began to build a reputation for themselves.

French forward Amine Gouiri suffered similar injury trouble but has established himself as a key player with Ligue 1 side OGC Nice, while Moussa Diaby is one of the Bundesliga’s standout wingers for Bayer Leverkusen.

Italian striker Gianluca Scamacca is reportedly attracting interest from Paris Saint-Germain, a year after courting Serie A giants Juventus, too.

In signing for Leeds United, Sinisterra becomes the latest U-20 World Cup alumnus to represent a club in Europe’s top five leagues.

His full debut is hotly anticipated with the 23-year-old’s first involvement in a Leeds shirt set to come in Australia during the club’s pre-season tour later this month.

Fellow summer signing Marc Roca made his unofficial Leeds bow during the Whites’ convincing 4-0 win over Blackpool in the team’s opening pre-season friendly.

The Spaniard coped well with the physicality of English football and operated well at the base of Jesse Marsch’s midfield in a 4-2-3-1 setup.

Sinisterra is expected to fill Leeds’ right-wing vacancy should Raphinha’s exit be confirmed.

The Brazilian returned to training on Thursday, July 7 but his future still appears to be away from Elland Road with Barcelona, Chelsea and Arsenal in the running for his signature.

Nevertheless, if Ruiz and Orta’s team have maintained a keen eye on this summer’s UEFA Under-17 and Under-19 European Championships, it is entirely likely a future Leeds player will have already been identified, just as Sinisterra was three summers ago.