Marcelo Bielsa’s Premier League-chasing Leeds United are keen to sign Andy Rinomhota, according to Reading manager Mark Bowen.
Mark Bowen has suggested that only a ‘huge bid’ would tempt Reading to sell Andy Rinomhota with Leeds United sniffing around, speaking to Berkshire Live.
Versatile, technically gifted and blessed with a superb passing range, one of the Championship’s rising stars could hardly be a better fit for Marcelo Bielsa’s title-chasing side. Did we mention he was born in Leeds?
Speaking to Get Reading in December, Bowen confirmed that Leeds had expressed an interest in bringing Rinomhota back to his hometown during the January transfer window, shortly after the youngster completed 100 per cent of his passes during a midweek clash between the two clubs at the Madejski.
But, with an upwardly mobile Reading side desperate to keep an ever-improving squad of players together, Leeds will have to break the bank if they are to have any chance of getting this deal done.
“I’m in constant contact with Mr Dai (Yongge, Reading’s owner) and his representatives and there is absolutely no will at all to sell. The hardest part is hypothetically if a huge bid came in for one of our players it’s about calming them down and making sure they are focused,” Bowen said.
“[But] I’ve been made aware no one is going anywhere.”
Rinomhota is not the only deep-lying playmaker linked with a move to West Yorkshire with TPortal claiming that HNK Rijeka starlet Ivan Lepinjica also has admirers at Leeds.
Both Rinomhota and Lepinjica have the tactical and technical skills to offer competition for Kalvin Phillips, the most important player in Bielsa’s ranks.
Leeds do not have a player capable of filling Phillips’ boots whenever he is out of the team with even the mercurial Ben White failing to replicate the impact of arguably the Championship’s most influential footballer – so Rinomhota would be a welcome addition at Elland Road.
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