Leeds-linked £13m man could be World Cup winner’s ‘heir’; Walter Samuel loves him

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Fiorentina’s sporting director has told Football Italia that Argentina legend Daniel Passarella helped convince the club to sign Leeds United-linked Lucas Martinez Quarta. And another former international, Walter Samuel, put a word in too.

Once Leeds accepted defeat in attempts to bring Ben White back to Elland Road, the Championship champions cast their net wide in an attempt to find a man capable of replacing arguably the club’s finest centre-half since Rio Ferdinand.

And before Leeds invested almost £40 million in Robin Koch and Diego Llorente, Copa Libertadores winner Martinez Quarta appeared to be their number-one target.

Jeunes Footeux reported that Marcelo Bielsa’s Premier League high-flyers were willing to pay £11 million before Fiorentina snapped him up instead.

And, according to Viola director Daniele Prade, two of the finest Argentine defenders of all time played a key role in Martinez Quarta’s eventual £13 million move to Florence.

“We had wanted to sign Lucas last year, but the price was much higher (in 2019). We did well to be aggressive on this deal, but negotiations with clubs in Argentina are never easy,” Prade explains.

“The player always showed he wanted to join us and we believe in him very much. Daniel Passerella advised us to sign him and said this player can be his heir.

“Walter Samuel (above) and Nicolas Burdisso also spoke highly of him.”

Passarella famously captained Argentina to World Cup glory in 1978 before repeating the trick eight years later. Samuel, meanwhile, tasted Serie A success at Roma and Inter Milan either side of a spell at Real Madrid.

If Martinez Quarta is capable of following in their gilded footsteps, this could be the best £13 million spent by any club in 2020.