Leeds United have reportedly told decided against stumping up the £13m asking price for Sampdoria defender Omar Colley, according to the Daily Express.
The lowdown
The 28-year-old has been with the Serie A club since 2018 and has gone on to make 85 appearances in total for them, 30 of which came last season as they finished ninth in the league.
His strong performances evidently haven’t gone unnoticed, with Leeds reportedly rivalling the likes of West Ham to a potential deal for the Gambia international.
Colley has a transfer value of £5.4m according to Transfermarkt, with four years remaining on his current contract with Sampdoria.
The latest
Club Doria has now claimed (via Sport Witness) that Sampdoria are looking to obtain a fee in the region of £13m for Colley’s services, with the report stating that none of the interested clubs have matched their valuation of the 28-year-old.
With just under a month until the summer transfer window reaches a conclusion, it remains to be seen whether Leeds will submit a formal offer for the defender’s services at this stage.
The Daily Express have now claimed that the Whites aren’t prepared to match Sampdoria’s valuation of Colley as they look at alternative options instead.
The verdict
This will be a frustrating update for Leeds fans and the club’s hierarchy heading into the final three weeks of the summer transfer window.
The Whites could have benefitted from adding strength in depth to their defensive options, with the likes of Robin Koch and Diego Llorente previously struggling for fitness at times during the 2020/21 season.
Therefore, it makes complete sense for Leeds to target Colley, who has experience of playing at a high level with Sampdoria in the Italian top flight. However, if the fee is proving too prohibitive, it’s time to move on from this one and focus on more attainable transfer targets.
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