Leeds United and Crystal Palace are keen on Torino midfielder Gvidas Gineitis, having both looked at him in the summer transfer window.
Cuore Toro report that both sides made efforts to sign the 22-year-old midfielder from the Italian side. They explain that the possibility of a move away this summer was ‘far more real’ than it appeared from the outside.
His agent, Dmitrijus Vinokurovas, has revealed the inside story in a lengthy interview given to the Lithuanian broadcaster LRT.
Crystal Palace and Leeds interest
He reported that Torino were willing to listen to offers for the player this summer. And, there was no shortage of interested clubs. RB Salzburg were the first to propose a deal before Club Brugge, Hoffenheim, Beşiktaş and several English clubs then entered the picture.
Crystal Palace were the first to move, seeing Gvidas Gineitis as a potential replacement for Adam Wharton. If he had left Selhurst Park, the Torino midfielder would have been the replacement.
Leeds United also then evaluated him. The agent reports that both Leeds’ sporting director and chief scout have been tracking the 22-year-old.
There is also interested from Southampton. They have reportedly been monitoring him for about a year and considering a loan deal with an option to buy. That arrangement, though, failed to convince Torino.
What happens now
The player and his staff are now looking to January. They are primarily focused on the Premier League. Vinokurovas believes that Gineitis’ athletic and physical attributes are particularly well suited to English football.
The belief is that some of the interested clubs – such as Leeds and Crystal Palace – could revive their interest next year. They are certainly likely to continue to monitor the midfielder over the coming months.
Much will depend on the coming months, as the midfielder now finds himself playing regularly for Torino. That could change the picture, particularly in January. But the interest was there in the summer as far as his agent is concerned.
