Leeds to Miss Out on Josko Gvardiol & See Bid Rejected for Rodrigo de Paul
By Ali Rampling
Leeds are poised to miss out on the signature of teenager Josko Gvardiol to RB Leipzig, while the Whites are still no closer to landing Rodrigo de Paul after seeing a bid rejected by Udinese.
The newly promoted outfit were reportedly in the driving seat to snap up Gvardiol - despite being rivalled by Leipzig - and had submitted an £18m bid for the defender.
According to Croatian news outlet Sportske Novostri, Dinamo Zagreb accepted Leeds' £18m bid, but Gvardiol has now rejected their contract offer in favour of a move to Leipzig.
The 18-year-old broke into the Dinamo Zagreb first team last season, instantly attracting admirers across Europe despite making just 15 senior appearances.
Leipzig were said to have submitted an offer similar to that of Leeds, which included add-ons and bonuses, in contrast to Leeds' up front offer.
However, the German outfit were prepared to let Gvardiol remain with Dinamo Zagreb in his native Croatia for a further season - something both the player and his current employees were keen on.
Leeds' attention will now turn to midfielder Rodrigo De Paul, who they have been pursuing since the end of August.
The creative midfielder has recorded 25 goals and 25 assists in his 146 appearances for Udinese, with his performances earning him his first senior cap for Argentina in 2018.
De Paul himself made his desire to join Leeds clear on social media - before deleting his tweet... and then his Twitter account (briefly).
However, according to journalist Fabrizio Romano, Leeds and Udinese are no closer to agreeing a fee, after the Italian outfit rejected a €25m bid from Marcelo Bielsa's side.
Udinese are said to be looking for a fee in the region of €40m for the 26-year-old, and with four years still remaining on his current deal, the club are under little pressure to sell him at a cut-price fee.