Latest reports state that Leeds United might no longer be in the race for the signing of Abel Hernandez. The 27-year-old is demanding a contract worth £100,000 per week which rounds up to over £5m in a year. The Peacocks have been on a standoff over a contract agreement for weeks now and might just be ready to give up now. While Andrea Radrizzani is all in for adding players, Leeds might not have the financial backing to meet Hernandez’s asking price, especially since he was making just £35,000 per week with Hull City last year.
The Uruguayan took to social media to bid goodbye to the Tigers fans after being offered a lesser deal. He finished his Hull career with 110 senior team caps and 36 goals. Nigel Adkins and the rest of the Hull fans are gutted to see their prolific number nine leave ahead of the 2018/19 campaign with potential suitors ready to offer him more money.
Leeds have long been the favourites in the Hernandez race since the departure of Pierre-Michel Lasogga from Elland Road. Marcelo Bielsa has made only two additions in Lewis Baker and Jamaal Blackman so far in the 2018 summer window and quickly need to move in for a scoring forward.
Signing a player of Hernandez’s pedigree will certainly improve their chances of gaining promotion next season, or at least challenging for it. The 27-year-old is a tested veteran of the Championship and is in the best form of his career, since overcoming a gruesome Achilles injury. He struck the back of the net 8 times in just 10 games late into the 2017/18 campaign to make a case for himself towards potential suitors.
Hernandez has also been capped 27 times for the Uruguay national team and was expected to serve as a backup to Edinson Cavani and Luis Suarez in the 2018 FIFA World Cup. However the former Hull City forward was not picked in the final 23 man squad for the Uruguay national side. The Pando-born forward still has his best footballing years in front of him and could be the perfect fit for Bielsa’s system.
He has pace, strength and the scoring eye to succeed in the Leeds lineup. He already has experience in the Premier League and in the Serie A, registering 122 caps for Palermo.
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Getting him for free is nothing short of a miracle for Leeds but it seems like Hernandez has taken the maximum advantage of the setup. With the competition around his final signature, Leeds might be better off pursuing other targets at the moment.
