Leonardo Pavoletti, the Italian striker, has a connection to Leeds United which keeps on reigniting during the transfer market every season. This time as well, it is being rumoured that there might be a chance for the English side to go in for the influential striker, who is now playing for Italian giants Napoli.
It was in 2014 when Leeds United came closest to securing the signature of the Italian striker on the agreement papers. However, the deal fell through due to some glitches and Pavoletti went back to his home country in order to sign with Genoa for the next season.
The 28-year-old striker was eyed by the owner of the English club, fellow Italian Massimo Cellino, who looked to bring him in after his takeover of the club was complete in April 2014.Pavoletti was playing for the Italian club Sassuolo in Serie B at that time and was also equally interested in joining the English club.
Reportedly, the striker came close to a deal on the Boxing Day in 2014 and even travelled to England to watch the club beat Wigan Athletic by 2-0 at Elland Road. However, Pavoletti was not interested in a loan move at that point in time, so he rejected the deal and went back to Italy to join Genoa on a temporary basis with the possibility of a permanent deal in the future.
This year in January, Leeds was again looking to bring in a new striker into their team. Pavoletti was once again linked with the club and there were speculations that the move can materialise this time around. However, the player showed no interest in making a move from Genoa to the Championship side and joined the Serie A club Napoli, which gave him a taste of top flight football at last.
Pavoletti is known for his attacking style of play and has a predator’s instinct in front of goal. He can make darting runs into the heart of the opposition box with or without the ball and has finishing which is of absolute precision. He is also known for his ability to assist his teammates with lethal balls into the attacking third, helping them to score at regular intervals. His heading abilities are also good and he can be a threat in set-pieces as well.
Speculations are rife that the striker might be pursued by Leeds United once again during the next transfer window. However, it is very unlikely that the Italian would leave his current club Napoli and join them.
