On December 13th, we carried a report from AS, who claimed that Leicester City have joined Leeds United and Athletic Club Bilbao in the race to sign Ibai Gomez of Alaves.
The 29-year-old’s current deal runs down after the end of the season and he has a €10m release clause in his contract, but it was mentioned that an offer of €4m was sufficient to take him in the winter market.
AS have another story on the winger in today’s edition of the newspaper, but the Spanish newspaper cites ETB as the source and claims that a new club is expected to challenge the two English sides and the Basque outfit for the player’s signature.
It’s claimed that Sporting from Portugal are going to challenge these clubs for Gomez’s signature and they have stepped up the efforts by already making an offer.
The report does not reveal the details of the offer made, but suggests the La Liga winners could consider his sale for €4m.
When a player claims he has already made a decision, but he will not reveal it, in most cases he ends up leaving the club and it seems to be the case with Gomez.
However, it is still not clear which club he will be joining next, if he decides to leave Alaves.
Sporting have had a difficult year and their finances aren’t as strong as one would expect from a club of such a size. That gives Leeds United some hope, and the Marcelo Bielsa factor is a further advantage.