Leeds United face missing out on Tajon Buchanan as Serie A giants Inter Milan enter talks to sign the Premier League-linked Canada international, according to Calciomercato.
When Rasmus Kristensen arrived at Elland Road last summer, the expectation was that he could be to Luke Ayling what Tyler Adams was to Adam Forshaw. What Max Wober is to Liam Cooper. Essentially, a long-term successor for the right-back berth Ayling made his own during the glorious Marcelo Bielsa era.
Instead, Kristensen is stuck on the bench, Ayling raising his game. The £10 million Austrian has featured only once from the start since January’s FA Cup meeting with Accrington Stanley. And that came at centre-half.
Reports from Calciomercato suggesting that Leeds are in for one of the Qatar World Cup’s breakout stars may raise some questions about Kristensen’s West Yorkshire future, though the Club Brugge speedster is more suited to a wing-back system than the four-man backline Leeds tend to use.
Leeds face Inter Milan battle for Tajon Buchanan
Buchanan, CM add, may be available for around £9 million this summer. A fee that is unlikely to put Leeds off. The biggest obstacle, however, is not the price-tag but the competition. Even Serie A’s biggest clubs may struggle to match the riches of the Premier League these days but the allure of the San Siro and Champions League football will surely tempt Buchanan.
Inter’s sporting director, Piero Ausilio, met Buchanan’s agent last week, talks getting underway. The Nerazzuri see the Ontorio-born 24-year-old as a potential replacement for Denzel Dumfries, feeling he could offer more versatility and unpredictability than the former PSV Eindhoven captain.
Buchanan has six assists this season. He also caught the eye for John Herdman’s Canada over in Qatar with his supreme self-confidence and street footballer skillset.
“What an amazing story,” Herdman tells ESPN of a man who was playing university football as recently as 2018. “His composure and his focus, I think, is born out of an amazing story of resilience.
“What you see on the world stage now is a young, complete player. He’s as committed to his defending responsibilities as he is to his attacking. But I think in both (of Canada’s first two World Cup) games, he had one of those ‘oh wow’ moments. Only the top, top players show those moments at World Cups.
“I think he showed them whether it’s little touches down by the corner or blowing past a player. It’s been terrific.”
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