Leeds United defender Laurens De Bock will be returning from Oostende.
Leeds United fans may have already forgotten about Laurens De Bock, but he looks set to return to Elland Road this summer.
De Bock joined Leeds last January, making a move from Club Brugge haven’t been identified by Victor Orta as a solution to the club’s left back problems.
The Belgian made seven appearances for Leeds after his move, but then lost his place to Tom Pearce, and he may have already played his final game for the club.
De Bock’s last game as in March against Reading, and when Marcelo Bielsa arrived as manager, he was swiftly shifted on loan to Oostende back in Belgium.
The 26-year-old has featured regularly for Oostende, scoring twice in 15 games, but he looks unlikely to stay with the club.
That’s because Oostende agreed to sign Borja Nastic on loan from Genk on deadline day, landing the Serbian on loan until the end of the season with a view to a permanent move.
Sporting director Hugo Broos has now discussed the move, telling Gazet Van Antwerpen that De Bock is heading back to Leeds this summer, and Nastic has been brought in to hopefully become his replacement.
“We have looked at the market in detail and weighed up what was feasible for KV Oostende,” said Broos. “And then Nastic is someone with the best profile. He knows the Belgian league, has played strong competitions, has a mentality and is also very good at attacking. We are doing this transfer early with a view to next season. Laurens De Bock must the return to Leeds. And actually Zarko Tomasevic, who enters his last contract year, is a central defender. So we can use some extra on the left,” he added.
It’s unlikely that Leeds would exactly welcome De Bock’s return, as he has no future under Bielsa and would surely be offloaded elsewhere – and Oostende seemingly backing away from a permanent pursuit is something of a blow to the Whites.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
