‘Deny the stories’: President says reported £33m Leeds target is going nowhere

Follow us on Google Discover

Reported Leeds United target Nahitan Nandez won’t be going anywhere this summer and is destined to stay at Cagliari, the Serie A club’s president Tomasso Giuliani has told Football Italia.

Two years after shining alongside Lucas Torreira in a Uruguay midfield full of grit, guile and garra spirit at the Russian World Cup, speculation suggests the 24-year-old South American could have joined the Arsenal ace in the Premier League.

Diario de Registrado reported in August that Marcelo Bielsa was keen to bring Nandez to Elland Road – and what the Leeds United boss wants, Andrea Radrizzani usually tries to provide.

But, with Cagliari making their stance clear, it seems Leeds’ pursuit of a £33 million midfield dynamo has reached a dead end.

“I can deny the stories that Nahitan Nandez could go to Napoli in exchange for Adam Ounas. Nandez is staying with us, we haven’t offered him to anyone,” Giulini says.

A box-to-box livewire who has been compared to Italy great Gennaro Gattuso due to his fearsome blend of technique and tenacity, Nandez accumulated a remarkable 14 yellow cards in his debut season in Serie A – more than anyone else in the division.

Leeds have already spent more than £50 million to sign three internationals – Rodrigo Moreno, Robin Koch and Helder Costa – although there’s still time in the window and money in the bank.

With Rodrigo de Paul linked and Radrizzani making an ambitious approach for Lazio talisman Sergej Milinkovic-Savic (Il Messaggero), it seems the Championship winners are focusing their energy on signing an all-action midfielder who can contribute at both ends of the pitch.