Leeds United were keen on bringing Emiliano Buendia to the club before he joined Aston Villa, according to former Whites striker Noel Whelan.
The Lowdown: Buendia joins Villa
The Argentine was arguably the outstanding player in the Championship last season as Norwich City won the title and sealed a return to the Premier League.
On Monday, it was confirmed that Buendia had agreed a £33m move to Villa, with the Canaries always likely to find it tough to keep hold of him.
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The Latest: Pundit makes key claim
Leeds are also on the lookout for attacking additions in the summer transfer window and it appears as though they missed out on snapping up the 24-year-old.
Speaking to Football Insider, Whelan claimed that the Whites were keen on bringing Buendia to Elland Road, hailing his quality as a player. The 46-year-old said:
“I think we missed a trick there.
“Number 10 is such an important position and there is only really Rodrigo as a decent option in there. You can never have enough good creative players in your side and Buendia is certainly one of those.
“He is a player who plays in between the lines and can change a game in a moment. He is a special player who can see passes that other can’t. That little bit of magic, he has got it.
“He was the standout performer in the Championship last season and I was very impressed with him when he played in the Premier League for Norwich City. He has proved that he can do it against the best.
“Leeds were interested and there was a lot of talk about a potential move but they clearly never pursued that interest. Great players like that cost a lot of money but they are worth every penny.”
The Verdict: Leeds missed a trick
Buendia is a superb attacking player who brings guaranteed numbers in the final third, scoring 15 goals and registering 16 assists in the Championship last season.
The idea of him linking up with Leeds’ other creative attacking players such as Raphinha and Rodrigo seemed a mouthwatering one, but it wasn’t meant to be.
The Whites would likely have had to break their transfer record to sign Buendia given the £33m fee agreed with Villa, and they seemingly couldn’t justify parting with such a big sum of money. Let’s just hope he doesn’t make Leeds regret missing out on him.
In other news, one Leeds player has been tipped to excel next season – find out who it is here.
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