Championship challengers Leeds United and West Bromwich Albion reportedly wanted Dinamo Zagreb star Mislav Orsic – but Bielsa and Bilic looked elsewhere.
Mislav Orsic might have missed out on a move to Leeds United or West Bromwich Albion but the Dinamo Zagreb forward is not exactly wracked with regret, telling Sportske Novosti that he has put the speculation to the back of his mind already.
As the January transfer window hurtled towards its conclusion, one of the most in-form forwards in Europe appeared to find himself at the centre of a tug-of-war between the two Championship frontrunners.
Sportske Novosti reported that both Leeds and West Brom had shown interest in an explosive forward who was valued at £8.5 million. But, in the final days of the window, The Whites and The Baggies appeared to look elsewhere.
Marcelo Bielsa’s stuttering side opted for Jean-Kevin Augustin instead while West Brom reinforced their attack with Kamil Grosicki and Callum Robinson, two proven talents who have a fine track record in England’s second tier.
But Orsic, who has 19 goals in 27 games this season, is focusing on the positives with Dinamo Zagreb cruising towards the Croatian title.
“Well, I forgot that (the speculation) right away. I have new goals in front of me,” said Orsic, who shot to fame with a Champions League hat-trick against Atalanta in September.
While Dinamo did manage to keep hold of their top scorer, they failed to keep Spanish international Dani Olmo in the Croatian capital. With the former Barcelona starlet hoping to secure a place in La Roja’s Euro 2020 squad, the chance to join Bundesliga title-challengers RB Leipzig was simply too good to turn down.
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