Leeds United are facing the prospect of missing out on Cagliari star Nahitan Nandez as a fresh twist emerges in their pursuit of the midfielder.

What's the story?

Reports in recent weeks had suggested that Marcelo Bielsa is eyeing up a summer move for the 25-year-old, with Italian publication La Nuova Sardegna even claiming that the Whites were ready to pay the €36m (£31m) release clause in order to bring him to Elland Road.

Then, Corriere dello Sport (via Sport Witness), even revealed that the Yorkshire club were very close to completing a deal for Nandez, with the Whites having only a few details to sort out.

Now however, Calciomercato claim that Leeds are actually "finding it impossible to invest such an important fee (€36m) on the transfer market for a single player".

It's added that if Cagliari were willing to negotiate then things could change, but as of right now, that has not been the case.

Bielsa will be fuming

Make no mistake about it, if after all of this time, the Whites ended up missing out on Nandez, Bielsa would surely be fuming.

Reports first emerged last year that Leeds were keen on signing the Uruguay international, and it's clear that the midfielder is a long-term target of Bielsa's and would also offer a lot at Elland Road were he to join.

Connor Clancy, editor-in-chief at Forza Italian Football, has talked about what Nandez could bring to the table at Leeds, telling This Is Futbol: "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."

It's exactly why Bielsa must be livid that one of his main targets - who he had reportedly insisted on signing this summer - could fall through the club's grasp.

This fresh twist is bad news for Leeds and their chase for Nandez.

Meanwhile, Leeds have suffered a major transfer blow...