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Guillem Balague offers his verdict on Leeds United-bound Diego Llorente

Guillem Balague presents pitch side before the UEFA Champions League group H match between Tottenham Hotspur and Real Madrid at Wembley Stadium on ...
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Leeds United may have missed out on Dinamo Zagreb defender Josko Gvardiol, but they still look set to bring in a centre back.

Gvardiol is off to RB Leipzig instead of Elland Road, and Leeds have moved quickly to pounce for their backup target in Diego Llorente.

San Sebastian-based newspaper Noticias de Gipuzkoa report that Leeds are on the verge of signing Llorente for a fee of €20million (£18.3million).

The 27-year-old is set to complete his move to Elland Road, and join fellow Spanish international Rodrigo in West Yorkshire.

Llorente has been a regular with Sociedad since joining from Real Madrid in 2017, and fits what Marcelo Bielsa wants as a ball-playing centre back.

One man well-placed to talk about Llorente is La Liga expert Guillem Balague, and he has offered his take on the defender.

Photo by Denis Doyle/Getty Images

Balague praised Llorente for his athleticism and ball-playing ability, branding him a ‘top player’ despite some issues on the left side of the Sociedad defence.

He added that Llorente is ‘clever and brave’, has good pace and a threat from set pieces, but can be better in 50-50 duels and produces a mistake or two, but his general view is that Leeds are making a great signing.

Photo by Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images