Leeds United looked set to sign Japanese international Yosuke Ideguchi but he could now be heading to Belgium instead.
Since the news broke about a month ago that Leeds United were on the verge of snapping up Japanese international midfielder Yosuke Ideguchi, as reported by The Sun, the trail has gone a little cold.
There’s only so much you can do outside of the transfer window, of course, but Leeds’ failure to agree a deal ahead of January may just come back to bite them. Because Japanese outlet Sanspo is reporting that Belgian side Sint-Truiden are lining up a bid in an attempt to scupper Leeds’ much-anticipated move for the Gamba Osaka star.
21-year-old Ideguchi is one of the most highly-rated talents in Asian football and enhanced his burgeoning reputation by scoring a stunning goal in the recent international break against Australia that secured Japan’s place at the 2018 World Cup.
Therefore, Ideguchi looked like another inspired bargain signing by Leeds’ esteemed director of football Victor Orta, for whom everything he touches seems to turn to gold at the moment. Yet, Orta may be at risk of being criticised for the first time as a deal that appeared to be in Leeds’ grasp is now under threat.
Japanese company DMM invested in Sint-Truiden in the summer and had planned to bring Japanese talent over to the Juplier League. As such, Ideguchi is believed to be a priority.
And if Ideguchi completes a move to Belgium rather than West Yorkshire, Leeds fans would be right to ask why the club had not been quicker to nail down the deal.
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