LIVE
...

Follow us on

Soccer Transfer News

Report: Leeds want PL ace who Orta missed out on in 2018, he’ll cost £20m-plus

leeds daniel james manchester united
Eddie Gray (l), Angus Kinnear and Victor Orta of Leeds United look on from the direcors box during the Sky Bet Championship match between Stoke Cit...
Follow us on Google Discover
Emiliano Buendia of Norwich City battles for possession with Bernardo Silva of Manchester City during the Premier League match between Norwich City and Manchester City at Carrow Road on… (Paul Harding/Getty Images)

Leeds United have inquired about the availability of Norwich City playmaker Emi Buendia, according to ReadNorwich.

While the Canaries might have left Marcelo Bielsa’s side choking on their dust as they raced to the Championship title in 2019, there is a real chance that Leeds could be about to take Norwich’s place in the Premier League next season.

The Yorkshire giants still have automatic promotion within their grasp despite a shock 2-0 defeat at Cardiff on Sunday.

And given that Norwich appear to have thrown in the towel already if that 3-0 thumping against Southampton is anything to go by, Buendia will surely be looking for a way out of Carrow Road in the summer.

The diminutive Argentine has stood out in a struggling side, with his penchant for a defence splitting pass and his relentless, buzzing movement making him a perfect fit for ‘Bielsaball’.

In fact, Leeds tried to bring Buendia to Elland Road in 2018 before Norwich swooped to snap up a bargain £1.5 million signing.

“Kieran Scott [head of recruitment] then went to watch him, came back and said he was unbelievable,” Norwich director Stuart Webber told the Telegraph last year.

Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images

“We literally found him from nowhere. The most interesting part of it is that Buendia was on loan at Cultural Leonesa, who are owned by Leeds. Luckily we got in there under Leeds’ noses.”

Sky Sports reported late last year that Norwich would demand more than £20 million for Buendia, meaning Leeds would have to smash their transfer record to sign a man they could have got for £18.5 million less.

Photo by Stephen Pond/Getty Images