One of the biggest pieces of Leeds United transfer news so far sees Manchester City defender and England international John Stones linked with a move to the club.
Stones has fallen out of favour at Manchester City, and it seems likely Pep Guardiola would let him leave in this transfer window. The signing of Nathan Ake from Bournemouth has pushed Stones further down the pecking order at the Etihad Stadium.
Leeds aren’t the only club to be linked with Stones, however.
Arsenal, Chelsea and West Ham have all been rumoured to have an interest in Stones, a player who has failed to live up to his potential at Manchester City after his big-money move from Everton.
Ex-Leeds goalkeeper Paul Robinson believes Marcelo Bielsa could bring the best out of Stones, as reported by Leeds Live.
Robinson said, “He’s clearly not in favour at Manchester City at the moment and with the way Bielsa likes to play – with centre-halves having to be comfortable with the ball at their feet – and he certainly fits that criteria.”
It wasn’t all positive from the former Tottenham shot stopper.
He had some concern about Stones’ defensive ability saying, “But in the Championship Leeds conceded too many goals through defenders taking risks – John Stones is a player who takes too many chances and gets caught too often.”
Improving the defence is important for Leeds as they prepare for their return to the Premier League. They have also been linked with a permanent move for Ben White, but are yet to meet Brighton’s asking price.
Leeds Aim To Re-Sign Former Star
Leeds are keen to re-sign Ronaldo Vieira according to Il Secolo XIX.
It was reported Leeds were one of several Premier League clubs who sent scouts to watch the Sampdoria man last month with an eye on signing him before the start of the 2020-21 season.
Burnley, Southampton, Leicester, Everton and West Ham are also interested in Vieira, who Leeds sold for just under £8 million in 2018.
Andrea Radrizzani described Vieira as a ‘great player’ when Leeds sold him and admitted it was a ‘sacrifice’ to help balance the books, per BBC Sport.
After breaking onto the scene for Leeds United, Ronaldo Vieira was sold to Sampdoria in the summer of 2018 for €7.1 million, replacing the outgoing Lucas Torreira.@VitoCDoria takes a look at Vieira’s development in Italy so far.https://t.co/JBYJlo39Gg pic.twitter.com/8CfMRcAmrG
— Breaking The Lines (@BTLvid) August 21, 2020
The Italian press reports Vieira could be available for somewhere in the region of £9 million, a reasonable fee for a Premier League club and markedly less than the cost of several others they have been linked with.
Although the Elland Road hierarchy clearly rate Vieira highly, they may prioritise central defence and attack before adding a midfielder like Vieira.
Still only 22 years old, Vieira has developed during his time in Italy and has made 44 Serie A appearances across the last two seasons.
*Credit for the main photo belongs to Kirsty Wigglesworth / AP Photo*
