Andrea Radrizzani has been quite vocal this week when discussing Leeds United’s recent transfer plans.
Indeed, he spoke about almost signing Cody Gakpo and Federico Chiesa for the Whites, while he also went on the record to discuss the sacking of Marcelo Bielsa.
However, perhaps the most interesting revelation made by Radrizzani this week was regarding the Whites’ attempts to sign Nicolo Zaniolo.
“We tried to sign Zaniolo by setting up a swap deal,” Radrizzani told Dazn.
“But Roma had already filled all roster spots for non-EU nationals.”
So, Leeds tried to do a swap deal with Roma for Zaniolo, but who was the bait put up by the Whites?
Well, as Radrizzani said, it was a non-EU player, so that rules out the logical idea that it could’ve been Diego Llorente who has since joined Roma on loan.
Leeds do have a few talented non-EU players who could’ve suited Roma. The likes of Luis Sinisterra, Tyler Adams and Brendan Aaronson are all at that sort of level, but as key players who were only signed in the summer, it’s unlikely that any of those three were contenders.
That just leaves Leeds’ British cohort.
With all due respect, it’s hard to imagine Roma biting on a swap deal for any of Adam Forshaw, Liam Cooper or Luke Ayling.
That leaves two potential candidates, Patrick Bamford and Jack Harrison, and, in our view, it would make the most sense if Harrison was the player offered up.
The winger is a like-for-like replacement for Zaniolo as an attacking midfielder, he almost left Leeds for Leicester in the January window anyway, and he is a non-EU national.
Bamford is the other option, but again, he’s not really up to Roma’s standard, and he has a frosty relationship with Jose Mourinho from their time together at Chelsea.
Harrison is really the only player it could’ve realistically been offered in this swap deal, but, either way, it couldn’t go through due to Serie A’s strict registration rules.
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