Leeds defender Diego Llorente joins Roma on loan until the end of the season with an option to buy for £18m after Jesse Marsch’s side signed Portugal U19 star Diogo Monteiro
Leeds have confirmed defender Diego Llorente has joined Roma on loan until the end of the season with an option to buy him permanently for £18m included in the deal.
The 29-year-old centre-half signed a three-and-a-half-year contract extension with the club last month, but has struggled to force his way into head coach Jesse Marsch‘s starting line-up.
Leeds said: ‘This term he has been restricted to just 13 appearances in all competitions, finding himself behind Liam Cooper, Robin Koch and new recruit Max Wober in the defensive pecking order.’
Defender Diego Llorente has joined Roma on loan after falling out of favour at Leeds
Llorente has made 59 appearances in all competitions for Leeds since joining from Real Sociedad in September 2020 for a reported fee in the region of £18million.
Jesse Marsch’s side have already signed a potential replacement for Llorente, with highly-rated youngster Diogo Monteiro joining from Swiss club Servette.
Monteiro has moved to Elland Road on a three-and-a-half year contract.
The centre-half signed a three-and-a-half-year contract extension at the club last month
Having only turned 18 on Saturday, the Premier League outfit have announced that Monteiro will go straight into their Under-21 squad.
Monteiro has represented Portugal at youth level, and helped the Under-17s make the semi-finals of the European Championships last year.
He then broke into Servette’s senior side earlier this season, making seven appearances for the team across all competitions before departing for Leeds.
Jose Mourinho’s team have made the Spaniard their latest addition in the January window
In an official club statement, the club said: ‘Leeds United are pleased to announce the signing of central defender, Diogo Monteiro who joins the club from Swiss Super League side Servette FC.
‘Monteiro made his league debut for Servette at the age of 16, becoming the third youngest player to make an appearance in the Swiss Super League. He has played seven times in all competitions for the Maroons, who currently sit third in the league table.