Leeds United are ready to hand Gonzalo Plata £35,000-a-week in the Premier League as they look to lure the Sporting Lisbon winger to Elland Road, as reported by Diario de Valladolid, via Pucella Fichajes.
Plata, should he end up in West Yorkshire, will arrive with big boots to fill. And Jesse Marsch will be praying he’s not the Robert Patrick to Raphinha’s David Duchovny, the Bekka Bramlett to Raphinha’s Stevie Nicks, presuming the Brazilian wants to ‘Go Your Own Way’ and decide that he’s ‘Never Going Back Again’ following a sustained spell of speculation.
Reports linking Raphinha with Barcelona have ramped up over the last couple of days. And, according to O Jogo, 21-year-old Ecuadorian Plata could be his replacement.
Fulham target Plata contributed six goals and five assists during a loan spell at Real Valladolid last season, firing a club under the stewardship of the legendary Ronaldo back to the Spanish top-flight. What’s more, the Sporting Lisbon loanee has made no secret of his desire to play Premier League football in the past, even if he has admitted that he’s keen to stay for another season at Valladolid.
The chances of that look slim, with 2021 Portuguese champions Sporting demanding around £9 million. A fee that is likely to be far beyond Valladolid’s financial means. Diario de Valladolid claim that Leeds are readying an offer of their own, while putting a contract worth two million euros (or £35,000-a-week) on the table.
Will Gonzalo Plata replace Raphinha at Leeds United?
“He’s a huge footballer,” Valladolid coach Pacheta says of a man who turned down Barcelona before joining Sporting in 2019.
“He still has to improve but he has everything. He’s an exceptional boy. We all love him. Plata is very good.”
Plata could become Leeds’ fourth signing of a transformative summer, following Rasmus Kristensen, Brenden Aaronson and Bayern Munich misfit Marc Roca.
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