Leeds United could see their chances of signing Zaidu Sanusi take a hit before the January transfer window even opens.
Porto are working to tie the Nigerian left-back down to a new contract. They have hopes of reaching an agreement before the end of December.
That would be rather inconvenient for Leeds. They’ve been keeping tabs on the 29-year-old for some time.
His current deal expires next June, making January an attractive opportunity to get him for a reduced fee or potentially agree a free transfer for the summer.
Porto, though, have other ideas. They’re now trying to get things sorted before Leeds have the chance to take advantage.
Porto working against the clock
According to Portuguese newspaper O Jogo, negotiations are already underway between Porto’s management, led by president André Villas-Boas. These negotiations are also underway with Zaidu’s representatives.
There’s no agreement yet, but the talks could reach a successful conclusion before January.
The newspaper makes it clear that Porto aren’t worried about the interest from England. In particular, they aren’t worried about Leeds’ reported plans to make a move in the winter window. They’re concentrating on getting their own business done.
And there’s a good reason for that. Villas-Boas’ administration has made avoiding free departures a priority. This becomes especially relevant with Zaidu approaching the final six months of his contract.
If nothing is agreed by the end of December, the defender will be free to negotiate a pre-contract with clubs outside Portugal. As a result, Leeds would then have an opportunity to secure him for next summer without paying Porto a transfer fee.
The Portuguese club would obviously prefer to avoid that scenario, although there’s still work to do before a renewal becomes reality.
Farioli has plenty of reasons to keep him
Zaidu’s importance to Francesco Farioli makes the situation a little trickier for Leeds.
Despite missing almost two months through injury this season, the defender has featured in ten of Porto’s 16 matches. He has also started eight of them. In addition, he’s been making an impact when coming off the bench.
Against Napoli in the Champions League on Wednesday, Zaidu replaced Martim Fernandes in the second half. He helped Porto become more dangerous going forward as they pushed towards an important victory.
Farioli has already spoken publicly about wanting to keep the Nigerian. He has praised his performances and the trust he’s built with the coaching staff.
The manager has been careful not to make promises about January, though, acknowledging that they’ll have to see what happens when the window arrives.
For Leeds, that uncertainty is about the only encouraging part of the latest developments. Of course they’ve already missed out on Zaidu once, when he chose to stay at Porto in January. Now they could face another disappointment.
Still, Porto have yet to convince him to sign. And until they do, Leeds have every reason to keep watching.
