Leeds United look set to miss out on the signing of Blackburn Rovers star Ben Brereton Diaz, with Serie A minnows Salernitana reportedly on the verge of landing the 23-year-old attacker.
According to Gianluca Di Marzio, the Italian side are close to agreeing on a deal with the Championship side for the Chilean international, with Salernitana’s sporting director recently in London to discuss the transfer with Blackburn for Brereton, who is also on the radar for Eintracht Frankfurt, Newcastle United and Olympique Lyonnais.
Leeds are also in the hunt for the forward, with former manager Marcelo Bielsa reportedly a fan of the 22-goal attacker and attempted to sign the former Nottingham Forest star for the Whites last January. However, it is now Salernitana who look set to sign Brereton this summer.
The Salerno-based side survived relegation last season by just one point after their first year back in Serie A in 23 years. And this summer, Salernitana look to improve their squad with some quality additions from abroad, with Brereton now looking likely to sign for the Italian club.
With the likes of Franck Ribery and Joel Obi on their books, Brereton could be tempted to sign for Salernitana despite their overall quality compared to the rest of Serie A. Yet the Blackburn star would likely be a guaranteed starter at the club instead of at a side like Leeds.
Indeed, Leeds could do with signing an attacker this summer with Raphinha set to depart and Patrick Bamford spending the majority of the season out injured, but Salernitana look to have beaten the Whites to one of their top targets in Brereton.
Salernitana signing Brereton could see Leeds sign attacker in the future
As mentioned, Salernitana are one of the worst sides in Serie A and only avoided relegation last season by the skin of their teeth, and this factor means that another poor season from the Italian club could see Leeds land Brereton in future depending on certain events.
Indeed, Salernitana being relegated next season alone could see Leeds reignite their interest in Brereton, with the attacker likely a better player as well after spending one year competing against some of Europe’s best players in Serie A.
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