Leeds United reportedly wanted to sign Braga’s Primeira Liga defender Bruno Viana but he will be difficult to sign for a Championship club.
It almost goes without saying that Leeds United’s hopes of luring their more ambitious transfer targets to Elland Road have taken a big hit after the events of Wednesday night.
The Whites looked set to end their 15-year Premier League exile in midweek – only to throw away a two goal lead and suffer play-off semi-final heartbreak against Frank Lampard’s Derby County.
So Leeds can probably forget about Bruno Viana now.
According to talkSPORT, Leeds were hoping to rival Wolves and Leicester City for Braga’s influential centre-back. With Championship football set to return to Elland Road, however, it seems unlikely that they would either have the pull or the funds now to tempt a player who has, with all due respect, better offers from top flight teams.
The Portuguese edition of Yahoo reports that Serie A giants AC Milan have even shown an interest in 24-year-old Viana, who has been one of the best defenders in the Primeira Liga since he joined Braga for a club-record fee in 2018.
The Brazilian has a £22 million release clause in his contract. And on Wednesday’s evidence, a classy and commanding centre-back would be welcomed with open arms at West Yorkshire.
Unfortunately, play-off heartbreak means they will have to reevaluate their options.
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