A report from Italian outlet Calciomercato has dropped a claim on the transfer fee that Leeds United are apparently willing to pay to sign Fiorentina’s defensive midfielder Erick Pulgar.
This comes after it was reported in late-December that Whites boss Marcelo Bielsa recommended the 27-year-old Chile international to the Yorkshire club’s recruitment team, per Florence-based publication La Nazione, via HITC.
The eight-figure sum Leeds United are prepared to spend on Pulgar
Now, it’s been reported that the Yorkshire club are ready to part with as much as €25m (£22.25m) to sign Pulgar, who has made 12 appearances in Italy’s top-flight this term, all but one of which saw him play in the defensive midfield position.
Competition for Kalvin Phillips
In the comments section of a recent article from The Athletic, Leeds United reporter Phil Hay declared that since the beginning of Bielsa’s time as Leeds manager, ‘there has been no rock-solid deputy’ for £24.3m-rated defensive midfielder Kalvin Phillips.
Per Transfermarkt, Phillips is the only natural defensive midfielder who is registered in Leeds’ first-team squad at present, which may back up Hay’s claim.
So, as Pulgar usually plays as a defensive midfielder too, perhaps it would make sense for the Whites to sign him with a view to providing some competition for Phillips and depth at this position.
Should Leeds United sign Pulgar?
YES
NO
It will be interesting to see if the Whites’ alleged interest in the Chilean heats up as we progress deeper into the January transfer window and if they do ultimately opt to spend what would be their third-highest-ever transfer fee on the Fiorentina man.
In other news, Alan Nixon has issued a positive update on Leeds United’s Sean McGurk pursuit.
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