Back in December, we couldn’t believe our eyes when it was reported that Leeds United were looking at Edinson Cavani.
Gianluca Di Marzio name-dropped the Whites as one of the clubs looking at the Uruguayan, and it was easy to just write that off as a nonsense report due to the club’s ongoing FFP issues and Cavani’s stature within the game.
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However, this week it’s come straight from the horse’s mouth that the winter report was true, and Cavani wasn’t the only big name Leeds were in for.
What’s the story then?
Andrea Radrizzani did an interview with Di Marzio this week, and he gave some eye-opening insight into United’s January transfer business.
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The chairman revealed that there was contact between himself and the Uruguayan, but he went on to say that he held more concrete talks with Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
"Cavani? The president had given me the availability to verify the interest with the player's brother. However, the negotiation never flew. I spoke more concretely with Zlatan. He could give us a decisive push but he decided to go to Milan. It was very honest and transparent with me,” Radrizzani said.
Statement
This revelation leads to so many questions.
How were Leeds going to finance it with their FFP issues? How would they have fit into Bielsa’s system? Would they have started over Bamford?
However, away from the array of questions we want to ask, this update has given us one big takeaway we can all be sure of.
Radrizzani means business.
A Championship club looking to sign Cavani or Ibrahimovic? It sounds insane, and the fact that he held talks with them is remarkable in itself, but if that’s the level of ambition the Italian is taking to the Premier League, Leeds could soon find themselves back battling it out at the top-end of English football.
The sheer ambition on show here is impressive, and if the cash injection that comes with promotion to the Premier League allows these types of pipe dreams to become a reality, Leeds will be a very exciting side in the near future.
Radrizzani may have failed in his pursuits of Cavani and Ibrahimovic, but this update should be seen as a positive - it’s clear he isn’t going to settle for second best in the transfer market.
In other news, Leeds still need to replace this player who departed in 2019.