LIVE
...

Follow us on

Soccer Transfer News

Empoli’s Serie A struggles could cost Leeds United Giuseppe Bellusci windfall

Leeds United manager Garry Monk (REUTERS)
Follow us on Google Discover

Giuseppe Bellusci was set to join Serie A outfit Empoli permanently in the summer after signing on loan from Leeds United last summer.

Leeds United's Giuseppe Bellusci looks dejected as he walks off the pitch after being sent off

A year after finally being shunted out of the Elland Road exit, Giuseppe Bellusci continues to cause problems for Leeds United.

According to Tuttomercatoweb, the madcap centre-back was due to turn his loan spell at Serie A side Empoli into a permanent deal – provided they avoid relegation from the Italian top flight.

Just a few months ago, Leeds would already been thinking about how to use that £1.7 million windfall. Empoli were sitting just a place above the bottom three but the huge safety net between 17th and 18th seemed to ensure their safety by default.

Since then, however, the Tuscan club have crumbled. So much so that even remarkable and unexpected away wins at Roma and AC Milan have not prevented the chasm between themselves and the relegation zone eroding to just a single point.

Giuseppe Bellusci of Leeds United lies on the pitch after sustaining an injury

A rejuvenated Crotone, with five wins in an unbeaten seven games, are closing in on one of Italian football’s great escapes with two games remaining.

Therefore, Leeds’ hopes of finally bidding farewell to the frequently blundering Bellusci this summer could be about to take a major hit.

The 27-year-old, booked a stupefying 14 times in Serie A this season, has been far from an assured member of the backline despite featuring in almost every game since moving from Yorkshire last summer.

Giuseppe Bellusci scores the second goal for Leeds

In fact, according to Il Tirreno, Bellusci found himself involved in an altercation with a fan following Empoli’s 2-0 home reverse to Genoa in March. Just imagine the unrest if Empoli drop into the bottom three.