Leeds United look set to miss out on Alaves winger Ibai Gomez.
According to Euskal Irrati Telebista – the ‘leading Basque broadcast service’ – claim Leeds United failed to firm up their interest in Alaves ace Ibai Gomez before Athletic Bilbao swooped in.
Gomez, 29, has been impressing for Alaves since his 2016 move from Athletic Bilbao, and has notched three goals and two assists in La Liga this season.
The Spanish wide man has become a man in demand off the back of his displays, especially given that his contract with Alaves is set to expire at the end of the campaign.
Leeds United have been strongly linked with a move to sign Gomez, which isn’t a great shock given that Gomez featured under Whites boss Marcelo Bielsa at Athletic Bilbao.
However, Euskal Irrati Telebista report that Leeds failed to firm up their interest in Gomez despite wanting him, and Athletic are now swooping in to re-sign him.
Gomez now looks set to return to Athletic three years after his exit, becoming the latest player to make an emotional comeback to the Basque club.
The La Liga club are keen to ‘get the band back together’, with Javi Martinez, Ander Herrera and Fernando Llorente among their top targets.
With that in mind, Leeds may have faced an uphill task convincing Gomez to sign anyway, regardless of Bielsa’s presence – and their reluctance to firm up their interest may suggest that they have a bigger target in mind anyway.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
