‘Want to stay’: Reported £15m Leeds target has no interest in moving after career-best form

Follow us on Google Discover

Leeds United linked striker Giovanni Simeone wants to stay at Cagliari for the long haul and believes he may be in the form of his life in Sardinia, as he told Corriere dello Sport.

While Diego has spent his entire footballing life trying to keep the ball out of the net, starring as a defensive midfielder in his playing days before manufacturing Atletico Madrid’s clean-sheet machine, the same cannot be said of Simeone Jr.

25-year-old Giovanni plays the game with a ‘knife between his teeth’, just like his father. But his game is built around clinical, emphatic finishes rather than ankle-crushing tackles.

Simeone has reached double figures in three of the last four Serie A seasons and looks well-placed to beat his career-best tally of 14 at an otherwise middling Cagliari side.

Ever since Cagliari president Tomasso Guilini confirmed Leeds’ interest in October (TMW), the 25-year-old Argentine has been scoring goals at a rate of knots.

He has hit the target four times in his last three matches – five in six overall.

No wonder Simeone is happy to follow in the footsteps of a man who has coached Atletico for almost a decade and put down his roots for the foreseeable future.

“I live in a wonderful place where the sea, the people and the city help you to live with great serenity,” Simeone explained.

“Here, everything makes you want to stay.

“Maybe yes (this is my best form ever). It would be a shame to stop (scoring) now. I have been in Serie A for five years, I played made many games and scored many goals but, when you grow up, you always look for greater quality in your play.”

Considering that the inconsistent Patrick Bamford remains the only natural number nine at Marcelo Bielsa’s disposal, it would not be a surprise if Leeds renewed their interest in the £15 million striker in January.

Yet they would have to act fast.

As Guilini explained to TMW, the fact that Leeds only made their move for Simeone late in the window meant Cagliari were never going to let him go. There was simply no time to find a replacement.