Marcelo Bielsa’s Championship outfit Leeds United have reportedly made a big bid for prolific Serie A striker Andrea Petagna.
SPAL president Walter Matioli has made it clear to Calciomercato that he wants to keep Andrea Petagna at all costs amid reports that Leeds United have made a big-money bid for the Italian international.
Tuttomercatoweb made the shock claim on Monday that Leeds had stumped up a near £14 million bid for the former AC Milan and Atalanta striker.
Petagna was one of the stars of Serie A last season, scoring 16 times to keep SPAL safe from relegation. As a result, the once-capped centre-forward is valued closer to £23 million – a fee that surely makes him far too expensive for a Leeds side still stuck in England’s second tier.
And, for what it’s worth, SPAL’s president certainly doesn’t have any plans to cash in on his top scorer and star man.
“It is our goal to keep them in Ferrara to make us competitive team,” said Matioli, referring to Petagna and Algerian wing-back Mohamed Fares.
“The new season is coming and the market is still open, but we will do everything to keep them.”
Petagna may be little more than a pipe dream but you can see why Leeds would ask the question. The 24-year-old is the epitome of an old-school number nine, a player who thrives with his back to goal and gets the best out of the players around him.
And Petagna belatedly added goals to his game last season, his tally of 17 in all competitions beating his previous best by ten.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
