According to the latest reports from TuttoMercatoWeb, Leeds United are interested in signing Boca Juniors midfielder Nahitan Nandez. The Uruguayan was part of his national team squad in the 2018 World Cup, and he started in all games but one in Russia. Apart from the Whites; Serie A clubs like Sampdoria, Cagliari and Fiorentina are also said to be in the mix to sign this midfielder.
This is an ambitious move from the West Yorkshire outfit, but these are the kind of signings they would need if they manage to secure a move to the Premier League. Recently, they slipped from the direct promotion spots as Sheffield United inflicted a defeat on them. However, things are tight, and it could go either way as Bielsa’s men trail the Blades by just one point.
South American radio station Continental (broadcast on ClossAm, 26 July, 6;00pm) claimed last year that Nandez had a £12m release clause. So we don’t expect him to come below the £10m mark and United would have to shell out top money to sign this 20 time international.
Central midfield is one of the areas where the club lacks a bit of depth. Mateusz Klich has continuously played in that position this season, and the club definitely needs to add more options. Adam Forshaw is another option who can play in midfield. However, there will be question marks over his quality if the club moves to the Premier League.
Nandez regularly partnered with Lucas Torreira for Uruguay in the World Cup and helped them reach the quarter-final stage where they lost to eventual winners France. One of the major reasons why we feel Bielsa might be after this Uruguayan international is because of Nandez’s impressive work rate.
He is tenacious in his approach, and the 23-year-old can do the nitty gritty job in midfield. However, don’t take him just as a midfield disruptor as Nandez can produce quality on the ball as well. The Maldonado born player can quickly move the ball up the pitch, and his link-up play is also worth mentioning. Therefore, all in all, he seems to be a perfect bet for Bielsa and there is no doubt that he would be able to adapt to Bielsa’s playing style.
It goes without saying that United can only get hands on a player of this quality if they move to the Premier League. Nandez might not have experience of playing football in Europe, but his exploits for his national side suggests that he would be a top addition for quite a few clubs in this part of the continent.
