Leeds United may be on the verge of signing Illan Meslier to a long-term deal, but they appear to have their eyes on another goalkeeping option, according to emerging reports.
What’s the word?
AlAireLibre claim that Marcelo Bielsa is lining up a move for Manchester City veteran Claudio Bravo, who is out of contract at the end of the current campaign.
The 37-year-old has won the Premier League, two League Cups and two Community Shields since he joined the Citizens in 2016.
His deal at the Etihad Stadium is reportedly a whopping £80k-per-week, which puts him earning more than first-choice stopper Edersonm Phil Foden and the same as Joao Cancelo, as per Spotrac.
Repeat mistake
Leeds and overpaid veteran goalkeepers, we’ve been here before right?
This feels all too similar to the swoop for former Real Madrid man Kiko Casilla, in the end, it has cost the club £40k-a-week in wages and it probably hasn’t been worth it.
Throughout the season he was lambasted for mistakes before it culminated in an eight-match ban for racial abuse, leaving many, including The Athletic’s Phil Hay, believing his time is done at Elland Road.
During his absence, Meslier stepped up and proved worthy of the number one jersey, managing to keep six clean sheets in nine appearances, per Transfermarkt.
Andrea Radrizzani and Victor Orta must be smart with their transfer business this summer as Leeds simply cannot afford to follow the same path of the likes of Fulham and Norwich in recent seasons.
Their move for Casilla was a financial gamble, just the same as it was with Jean-Kevin Augustin and his obligatory £19m fee.
A move for Bravo just doesn’t make any financial or footballing sense whatsoever.
AND in other news, Phil Hay reveals how many players Leeds CEO thinks they’ll sign this summer…