Announcement coming: £18m Leeds man about to follow Sinisterra out the door
The player is one step away from sealing his Elland Road exit.
Diego Llorente, a center-back, also left Leeds in 2023 to play for Roma in Serie A. The main distinction, though, was that Llorente moved forward in January and committed to a first 18-month stint; also, there may have been an agreement stipulating that Roma would have to purchase the Spaniard should certain requirements be fulfilled.
Llorente now closes in on Leeds exit
Il Romanista now claims that Roma are “one step away” from acquiring Leeds player Llorente on a long-term contract. The Italian team sees Llorente as a vital component and is committed to strengthening their defence for the upcoming campaign.
As he gets closer to the previously indicated requirements, he will automatically join, and as of right now, it seems like “only the official confirmation” is lacking. Therefore, it appears that the relocation was inevitable.
£18m Llorente may not be last loanee to say goodbye
Following their promotion to the Premier League under Marcelo Bielsa, Leeds paid around £18 million to acquire Llorente from Real Sociedad in 2020. He participated in 15 Premier League games and helped the Whites secure a ninth-place finish during a campaign marred by three different injuries. He made 28 appearances the following year in a valiant attempt to survive, but he lost ground to Jesse Marsch in the early half of 2022–2023 and eventually left.
| Diego Llorente Roma stats (Serie A 2023/24) | Volume | Club rank |
|---|---|---|
| Appearances | 21 | 6th |
| Starts | 20 | =4th |
| Minutes played | 1,585 | 6th |
| Minutes per match | 75 | 9th |
| % of team minutes played | 73.4 | 6th |
As the table above illustrates, Llorente has been an important member of Roma’s squad this year as the Giallorossi fight to finish in the top four of Serie A and exact revenge for their loss in the Europa League final the previous season. Apart from participating in twenty-one of their twenty-four league games, he has also started five of their six games in the Europa League thus far.
Leeds United supporters will continue to take pain from this howler.
Llorente is expected to go with Sinisterra, but it’s unclear if any other loanees have given up on Championship promotion-chasing Leeds.After reaching pre-contract negotiations with Eintracht Frankfurt prior to the expiration of his Whites deal this summer, Robin Koch has already left Daniel Farke’s side, and Jack Harrison may follow if Everton chooses to exercise his release clause.