Reported Leeds United target Nicolas Nkoulou is now a free agent with Marcelo Bielsa’s old Marseille favourite announcing his departure from Torino on Instagram.
With all the speculation surrounding Il Toro right now, it may come as a surprise to learn that Juventus’s noisy neighbours only survived relegation to Serie B by the skin of their teeth last season.
Despite enduring a miserable season at the Stadio Olimpico, it seems that a number of Torino players emerged with their reputations largely unscathed – enhanced even, in some cases.
Wilfried Singo, Sasa Lukic, Gleison Bremer and talismanic captain Andrea Belotti have all been linked with Premier League clubs over the course of the summer.
But, while the aforementioned quartet will not come cheap, the same cannot be said of an experienced central defender with 75 international caps on his CV.
After four years and nearly 150 games, Nkoulou walked away from the Italian outfit when his contract expired on Thursday.
“Thanks to the Toro family, thanks for everything,” said the Cameroonian colossus.
Will Nicolas Nkoulou reunite with Bielsa at Leeds United?
Where Nkoulou ends up next is anyone’s guess.
Tuttosport claimed in March that Leeds United were heading the chase for a man who played some of the best football of his career under Bielsa at Marseille.
In fact, Bielsa himself was understood to be driving the interest in Nkoulou, making it clear that he wanted the 31-year-old ‘at all costs’.
And what Bielsa wants, Bielsa usually gets at a club who have no qualms about bending to their manager’s every whim.
His availability is unlikely to go unnoticed for long, then, at a time in which clubs are looking to reinforce their squads while counting the cost of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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