Leeds United may do well to hold back on a potential move for Barcelona youngster Riqui Puig in the January transfer market.
The highly-rated youngster is looking likely to leave the Camp Nou in the near future, having fallen out of favour under Ronald Koeman.
He was linked with a move away during the summer transfer window when Koeman made it clear he wouldn’t be part of his plans and advised a loan move.
That never happened and he’s fallen even further down the pecking order, with it also clear that the Dutchman simply isn’t a fan.
That’s obviously led to suggestions about a move in January and Leeds were recently named among the clubs that his agent had offered him to.
It’s well known that Marcelo Bielsa would like another central midfielder for his squad and a highly-rated young La Masia graduate would fit the bill nicely.
They, though, may want to hold off on that. Sport cover the player today and state that the ‘hardest decision’ Koeman has to make at Barcelona at the minute is over Puig.
He is still not getting minutes, with the Dutch coach recently hinting that the player doesn’t do enough in training to warrant a place in his team.
The newspaper explains that while nobody questions the ‘natural talent’ Puig has, none of the coaches he’s had at Barça ‘have fully trusted him’ and it’s the same with Koeman.
The suggestion is that there’s something going on behind the scenes with the player, probably around his attitude, that several Barcelona coaches simply haven’t liked.
And that should serve as a big warning to Leeds if they are thinking of a move. Bielsa has worked hard to develop a certain culture among his squad, and they risk upsetting that with someone like Puig, even if he would prove to be a massive bargain.
