In the summer transfer window, the Italian media insisted Leeds United were trying to sign Nikola Krstovic from Lecce. There were denials in the UK, but the Italian slant was those denials were because the player flat-out rejected the opportunity to move to Elland Road.
He wanted to remain in Serie A, and preferably join a club fighting for trophies. The striker ended up joining Atalanta some weeks later, with the Italian side paying €25m to secure him permanently.
On Sunday, the Montenegrin started for Ivan Juric’s side and grabbed an impressive brace in a 3-0 win over Torino.
Quotidiano di Puglia take a closer look at Krstovic and describe him as ‘’the undisputed star’ of the game. The newspaper state Leeds United did ‘everything they could’ to sign the 25-year-old in the summer and at one point there was hope a deal could be done.
In the end, Krstovic rejected the move as he wanted to stay in Serie A, with Juventus also having held talks for him.
Corriere dello Sport also have something about the striker. They report the ex-Lecce player wanted to play for a ‘top club’ and this is why he rejected the move to Leeds United.
It also believed that only Atalanta offered Lecce what they wanted in terms of money, and this played a key role in the transfer.
La Dea are now convinced that Krstovic’s value can rise further.
