Leeds United’s deal for Watford forward Fernando Forestieri has collapsed, with Leeds owner Massimo Cellino saying that “he didn’t have the right mentality needed to come to Leeds”, the club’s official website has confirmed.
News came through late last week that the Whites had submitted a £3 million bid for the player to his current club Watford, this bid was soon accepted and the player was set for talks with Leeds.
Despite a fee being agreed, Forestieri was reluctant to make the move to the West Yorkshire club, which left Leeds in a situation where they could no longer pursue a deal for the forward.
Speaking to leedsunited.com, Cellino said that “We decided on Tuesday that we would not be signing Forestieri, it was clear he didn’t have the right mentality needed to come to Leeds.
“I want players to show a hunger and desire to come here, but he did not.
“It was not about the money. A player could cost £3 million, £5 million or be a free transfer, but if their mentality isn’t right then I will not sign them for Leeds.
“Players like Wood, Adeyemi and Dallas are what we need here – they gave everything to show that they wanted to join Leeds. Look at Murphy, he showed a great commitment to the club.
“All our new signings showed that they really wanted to play for Leeds. We are building a team of players with the same attitude and the mentality needed to make Leeds successful again.
“Forestieri did not show that and we have moved on. We ended the deal on Tuesday and we are now looking at different players.”
Another Championship club are now looking into the potential of signing Forestieri, with Sheffield Wednesday reportedly entering the race for the player.
Last season, in what would turn out to be Watford’s promotion campaign, the 25-year-old made 24 appearances in the Championship, scoring five goals and assisting six.
