Leeds have been given a potentially huge boost in the race to sign Spanish attacker Samu Saiz, according to Mundo Deportivo.
The news comes after Newcastle have reportedly pulled the plug on an £8.7 million deal for Eibar defender Florian Lejeune, which would have allowed Eibar to free up more money to rival Leeds’ bid for Saiz, who is a major transfer target for the Spanish club.
The former Real Madrid youngster has been in high demand this summer following his impressive return in the Spanish second tier last season with Huesca, where he scored 12 goals and registered 7 assists playing across the front three.
La Liga minnows Eibar have been interested in the 26-year-old for some time now and sent scouts to watch him on multiple occasions last season. It was reported that a deal was almost sealed for the forward, but Championship outfit Leeds have entered the running over the last week.
Thomas Christiansen is keen to hijack Eibar’s deal and make Saiz his second summer signing after Mateusz Klich, who signed permanently for The Whites from Dutch side FC Twente on Friday.
The Whites had already reportedly made a ‘more tempting offer’ to the Spaniard than that offered by the Spanish club, and the collapse of the Lejeune deal seems to have scuppered any chance of a retaliation from Eibar’s side.
Whilst Newcastle could still trigger the defender’s release clause, it’s unlikely to be done in time to allow Eibar to complete the Saiz transfer, so it looks like they could well be out of the running.
