The La Liga club is reportedly considering whether to keep the Whites-linked playmaker until the end of the season – and lose him for nothing – or sell him in January.
Leeds United have been rattled by the impending departure of Samu Saiz, who is set to join Getafe in the New Year.
However, if the latest reports from Spain are to be believed, it looks as though a player tipped to be Saiz’s replacement may be close to the exit door at his current club.
According to Mundo Deportivo, Deportivo Alaves midfielder Ibai Gomez – linked to Leeds by Goal.com and rated by AS at around £4.5million – is causing a “dilemma” for the powers that be at the La Liga outfit.
The report claims there still hasn’t been a breakthrough over a new contract for the 29-year-old, so the “priority issue” for Alaves now boils down to two options – sell him in January or keep him until the end of the season, at which point he could leave for nothing.
In addition, Gomez would be free to speak to other teams with regards to a pre-contract agreement as of January 1, so given his future is high on the club’s agenda, one would hope there would be a quick decision to make – which could potentially mean Leeds could get their hands on the playmaker within weeks, if not days.
Although Leicester City and Athletic Bilbao have also been linked with Gomez, the Whites have the added benefit of their manager Marcelo Bielsa having worked with the player before at Athletic, not to mention the very real prospect of Leeds not only winning promotion to the Premier League in 2019 but also establishing themselves as a top-flight force once again.
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