Leeds United could be given a second chance to sign Cagliari star Nahitan Nandez after he went awol from the club’s trip to Mallorca.
Nandez has been regularly linked with a move to Leeds over the last few months, with them looking to improve their squad after an impressive return to the Premier League.
Negotiations were progressing at a steady pace for several weeks before things collapsed, with it felt that Leeds simply didn’t want to pay the fee for him.
There’s been nothing about a move to Elland Road since, with Nandez instead appearing to be close to a move to Inter Milan. The Italian club want a player for their right-side, and Nandez can operate there as well as in the middle.
Talks have been underway for months, but with Romelu Lukaku set to depart, that has given Inter the funds to move for Denzel Dumfries, with several reports indicating he is the preferred choice.
This has not gone down well with Nandez, it seems, with TMW reporting that he has failed to turn up for the clubs’ pre-season trip to Mallorca.
That’s obviously hasn’t been received well, with Cagliari director Stefano Capozucca criticising the move.
“Nandez did not show up at the appointment to leave for Mallorca without agreeing on this choice with the club,” he said.
“Always behaving with the utmost respect towards the club, the fans, the teammates and the jersey is an absolute priority for us and certainly having disrespectful attitudes can only stiffen the position of our president who, despite the many economic difficulties of the moment, will never accept this type of forcing.
“I hope that those who advised Nandez realise that they are not protecting the player in this way and that Nahitan understands that putting ‘Cagliari first’ is not just something he reads every day as he enters the locker room, but it is a belief and a duty of everyone who has the honour of being part of our family.”
Now, there’s no mention of Leeds in this report, it’s very much focused on Nandez not turning up and the move to Inter collapsing.
But both scenarios certainly play into Leeds’s hands, with Cagliari surely keen to do a deal and Leeds major competitor seemingly now out of the bidding.
It’s a perfect opportunity to revive their interest and perhaps get a good deal, although they may now question whether the player has the right attitude given this stunt.
