A claim has emerged on Leeds United and their chances of signing Raphael Guerreiro from Borussia Dortmund…
What’s the talk?
Journalist Dean Jones has revealed that although the left-back is a target, the club are not confident that they will be able to convince the Portugal international to make the switch to Elland Road.
He told GIVEMESPORT: “At the moment, because of their league position, they’re concerned it might be a bit of an issue persuading him to agree to anything.
“So, Guerreiro is definitely one that Leeds should look at unfolding before they then look at other options.”
This comes after it was reported, by TEAMtalk in November, that the club are keen on a deal to sign the full-back and want to offer him a pre-contract ahead of his terms with Dortmund expiring next summer.
Sensational signing
Victor Orta must try and avoid any hitches in a deal for the player as the left-back has the quality to be a sensational signing for the club.
Leeds are currently 15th in the Premier League table and two points above the drop zone and they are seemingly worried that their precarious position in the English top flight will prevent them from being able to sign the defender.
The Portugal international may not want to join the club if they are in danger of dropping down to the Championship, particularly if it is on a pre-contract that will result in him arriving at Elland Road next summer.
That said, Guerreiro would be a fantastic signing for Leeds as he has proven himself at the top level for club and country in recent years.
He averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.17 as he produced one goal and two assists in three starts for Portugal at the 2022 World Cup, whilst he is currently averaging a score of 7.04 in the Bundesliga for Dortmund – scoring once and creating four ‘big chances’ for his teammates.
In the 2020/21 campaign, the 28-year-old plundered a whopping five goals and ten assists in 25 Bundesliga starts for the German side from left-back, whilst averaging a score of 7.40.
Meanwhile, Junior Firpo has averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.60 or lower and chipped in with zero goals and two assists in the Premier League since the start of last season.
These statistics indicate that Guerreiro, who Derek Rae once dubbed “fast” and “fluent”, would be a huge upgrade on the former Barcelona man, both in terms of what he would offer in the final third and his average performance level.