Leeds suffer transfer blow as reports suggest Nahitan Nandez is worth £26m

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Uruguayan outlet Ovacion have claimed that Boca Juniors midfielder Nahitan Nandez will only be allowed to leave the club for a whopping £26million – which will come as a huge blow to Leeds United.

Italian outlet TuttoMercatoWeb claimed that Leeds were rivalling three Serie A sides for the 23-year-old midfielder. Cagliari are said to be very interested, while Sampdoria and Fiorentina are also keen.

Nandez is certainly a quality midfielder. He has featured for Boca in the Copa Libertadores final and played for Uruguay at the 2018 World Cup in Russia. The combative ace is currently Uruguay during the international break.

There is no surprise, then, that Leeds are tracking the midfielder given his current contract expires in the summer of 2020. Bielsa is likely to know just how good Nandez is, given he plays in Bielsa’s home country.

However, recent reports of Nandez having a £26million release clause will only come as bad news to Bielsa. Even if Leeds gain promotion to the Premier League, the chances they will be spending such a figure is unlikely.

That is because Bielsa prefers to work with a small squad. One that is close knit, but also boasts a number of players that can operate in multiple positions. So spending will not be necessary, man management is the way forward.

Rio Ferdinand remains the club’s record signing after he joined for a whopping £23million from West Ham. Nandez, then, would be Leeds’ club-record signing.

But the chances of Leeds exceeding such a figure looks slim. So it seems Leeds may have to look elsewhere than signing Nandez this summer, even if they go up to the Premier League.