Leeds United want to reinforce their forward line before the end of the summer transfer window.
The Whites were recently linked with a move for Liam Delap from Chelsea. The striker was said to be valued at around £35-£40million.
However, this was quickly shut down by Graham Smyth, who ruled out a move for the Englishman.
Carlos Espi was reportedly a striker who was on United’s radar. But after Real Madrid’s latest announcement, the 49ers will have to turn their attention elsewhere.
Real Madrid announce Carlos Espi signing
Just as Leeds fans were beginning to get excited about the possibility of Espi joining Leeds, Real Madrid dropped a bombshell.
Madrid confirmed that they had reached an agreement with Levante to sign Espi. A fee is not mentioned, but previous reports claim that his release clause was around £21.4million.
The 21-year-old has joined Real Madrid on a five-year deal. This comes fresh off the back of being named the best Under-23 player in La Liga last season.
The Spaniard netted 11 La Liga goals in just 1350 total minutes last season (Sofascore).
According to Smyth, Leeds had yet to put in a bid for Espi. So at least it’s not like the youngster was pinched from right under our noses as we were about to sign him.
But if he goes on to become an incredible player for Madrid, the 49ers may regret not making a move for Espi sooner.
Another striker is needed at Leeds next season
After failing to impress against Wrexham in pre-season, Joel Piroe had a similar story against Sunderland.
In his player ratings article in the Yorkshire Evening Post, Smyth gave Piroe a six out of ten.
Smyth claimed that Piroe was “unable to make any real inroads into the game as a second-half substitute until later on, but wasn’t enough of a factor.”
I know it may only be pre-season, but how many warnings do we need that Piroe simply isn’t up to the level required to be a forward in the Premier League?
We cannot have the 26-year-old lingering like a bad smell again next season. Last campaign he proved he simply wasn’t good enough, and pre-season has only added more weight to this argument.
The sooner Piroe is sold, the better, and the 49ers must have some replacements lined up who are, in fact, capable of coming in and providing Dominic Calvert-Lewin with some competition.
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