Leeds United are ready to smash their transfer record to sign Cagliari and Uruguay midfielder Nahitan Nandez this summer.

What's the story?

Reports in recent weeks have suggested that Marcelo Bielsa is eyeing up a summer move for the 25-year-old, who could be available for much lower than his release clause.

Italian publication La Nuova Sardegna has now claimed that the Whites are actually ready to pay the €36m (£31m) release clause in order to bring him to Elland Road, with Bielsa insisting on signing him. That deal would eclipse the club-record £26m fee that Leeds paid Valencia to sign Rodrigo last summer.

Bielsa will love it

Connor Clancy, editor-in-chief at Forza Italian Football, has thrown his support behind a potential Leeds deal, saying in an exclusive interview with This Is Futbol recently: "Anywhere Bielsa wants to play him, he’d do a job. I like him a lot. I think he’s only about five foot seven, but you wouldn’t know it if you just watched clips of him, he is a little bit of a machine. He’s so powerful but at the same time, has really, really good ball control."

According to Sofascore, he averaged 1.8 tackles and won an impressive 6.1 duels per game in Serie A last season, which favours well compared to Leeds talisman Kalvin Phillips - the Whites ace averaged 2.6 tackles and won 5.3 duels per match in the Premier League last season.

His performances for Cagliari even led journalist Mina Rzouki to say: "Cagliari’s Nandez is one of the most underrated players. God he’s been so amazing, especially in Cagliari’s last 3 games. He scored the equaliser against Napoli. Man of the match in the win against Udinese. Against Roma - just wow. Unstoppable."

If Andrea Radrizzani sanctions a record-breaking move for Nandez, then Bielsa would surely love it, especially with reports claiming that he's insistent on bringing him to Yorkshire.

Meanwhile, Marcelo Bielsa would be furious with this unforgivable Leeds mistake...