If you’ve followed us for a while, you’ll know all about Leeds’ interest in Baghdad Bounedjah.
The rumours were rife late last year as we geared up for the 2019 January transfer window, with outlets claiming Marcelo Bielsa was interested in the Algerian forward, who currently plays for Al Sadd in Qatar.
He was open to a move too, but nothing happened in the end despite him scoring 59 goals over the 2018 calendar year, and he remained in the Middle East.
However, if Le Buteur are to be believed on Thursday, Leeds haven’t let go of their interest in the 28-year-old, who recently scored in Algeria’s 3-0 victory over Colombia.
They state the problem is the clubs keen on Bounedjah’s services are ‘struggling to put the price to sign him up’ as Al Sadd want €15m to let him go, which is release clause.
On top of that, there’s his ‘high wages’ to deal with, and that’s why Leeds, Marseille or Lille, all said to have been ‘supervising him for several months’, haven’t made a move yet.
At that price, it seems unlikely Bielsa and co. will shell out in January, but if they get closer to the Premier League and they can smell that TV money, then it might end up being something they consider more seriously.
And even then, there’s the worry Bounedjah might not do well in a bigger league to overcome, as there are questions about the competitiveness of the Qatar Stars League compared to that of Europe’s top championships.
