Leeds United’s hopes of signing an attacking player before Monday’s deadline have taken another hit as Eduard Spertsyan discussed his future in an interview on Sunday.
Already this summer, Leeds have missed out on some big attacking targets. Igor Paixao chose to go to Marseille over Leeds when Adam Underwood believed that Leeds had wrapped up a £30m transfer.
Then, Facundo Buonanotte was on his way to Leeds only to have his head turned by Chelsea at the very last minute. The Argentine is now set to join Enzo Maresca’s side on loan from Brighton for 2025-26.
Bilal El Khannouss is about to complete a £26m move from Leicester to Stuttgart, with the German club using the money brought in from the £69m sale of Nick Woltemade to Saturday’s opponents Newcastle.
Photo by Sergen Sezgin/Anadolu Agency via Getty ImagesNow, Eduard Spertsyan drops a hammer blow for Leeds United
Spertsyan was in action for Krasnodar on Sunday evening, after Beren Cross reported on The Athletic that the Armenia skipper remains an option for Leeds before the end of the summer window and deadline.
Arsenal icon Andrey Arshavin claimed in July that Spertsyan would leave before the summer window. The playmaker then showed Leeds what they are missing, with Krasnodar scoring from his perfect corner.
However, speaking to reporters after the 1-1 draw with CSKA Moscow, Armenian site ARM Sport say that Spertsyan has ruled out a move before the deadline. He did say though, that a winter move is “possible”.
“All championships are good. I want to play in the Champions League and European Cups. Southampton is a good and strong team, but many factors have to coincide. In the winter, anything is possible.”
Photo by Ahmad Mora/DeFodi Images via Getty Images
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Another one bites the dust, so who is still a possibility for Leeds?
With El Khannouss, Buonanotte and Spertsyan now off the table, only three potential deals remain for Leeds on the final day of the window. The first, being Strasbourg’s Dilane Bakwa, but he is expensive.
Bakwa came off the bench to score and win a penalty for Strasbourg on Sunday in a 3-2 loss to Monaco. It comes after Bakwa said he would not play for Strasbourg again. Forest and Palace are also interested.
Manor Solomon is looking for a Premier League side to join on deadline day and LeedsUnited.News has learnt that a return to Leeds is a possibility. The other option is someone not yet linked with Leeds.