Leeds United reportedly face challenge to sign Celtic’s Emilio Izaguirre – though it’s worth trying

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Celtic’s long-serving left-back Emilio Izaguirre will become a free agent at the end of this season – but what are the chances of a move to Leeds United?

With Leeds United falling at the final hurdle to bring the dreams of a long-awaited Premier League return crashing down, you wonder if the end result would have been the same had they strengthened adequately in January.

A number of supporters clamoured for the addition of a David Nugent or a Lewis Grabban – promotion specialists who had ‘been there and done it.

Though, with Leeds losing four games in April alone when the pressure was ramped up, perhaps their inability to match the pace was due to inexperience and a lack of a winning mentality.

However, if the club were to sign Emilio Izaguirre on a free from Celtic in the summer, they would not have to worry about at least one of their players choking at the crucial moment. The 30-year-old, who is likely to leave Parkhead this summer with his contract expiring, has six successive Scottish Premiership titles on his CV and you don’t win that many trophies without a strong mentality.

The Sun, therefore, claimed in January that Leeds had identified Izaguirre as a possible replacement for the departing Charlie Taylor.

However, their hopes of landing the Honduran international may be nothing more than well-meaning pipe dreams. The Daily Record reports that Izaguirre may have his heart set on a move closer to home seven years after leaving CD Motagua for Glasgow.

Therefore, the glitz and glamour of the MLS appears a far more likely destination than West Yorkshire. The Scottish Sun reported earlier in the season that the Celtic-supporting coach of San Jose Earthquakes, Dom Kinnear, travelled to Scotland to watch Izaguirre in action with the motive of making him one of their marquee imports.

And though the California-based franchise is far from a stone’s throw away from Izaguirre’s Honduran hometown, you could hardly blame him for wanting a return to North America.