Daniel Farke will be frustrated as Leeds United prepares a new proposal for Emiliano Buendía.
Although the Whites were never expected to be active in the winter transfer window, there were hints that they would look for an offensive midfielder.
The Elland Road club so selected Buendia of Aston Villa as a target, although a “ambitious” one [Alan Nixon].
Buendia had great success at Norwich City under Farke, scoring 24 goals and providing 41 assists in 121 appearances across all competitions, making a prospective reunion all the more interesting.
However, the German tactician will be disappointed with the newest transfer news regarding the former Argentina international.
According to Sky Sports Germany (25 January), Bayer Leverkusen is interested in signing the 28-year-old on loan with the option to buy during current window.
Leeds United are at a major disadvantage in the quest for Emiliano Buendía.
According to Sky Deutschland, Aston Villa is requesting that Leverkusen include an obligation to buy Buendia in their deal, while another team is still in the running.
While it is unclear whether Leeds is that unnamed club, they are at a significant disadvantage in the hunt to recruit the former Norwich star.
The West Yorkshire club is on track to be promoted to the Premier League after 28 games, as they currently lead the Championship table.
Leverkusen, on the other hand, is not only the reigning Bundesliga champions, but also a strong contender in the UEFA Champions League, where they are currently ranked eighth out of 36 teams after seven games.
Leeds may struggle to compete with the allure of Champions League football, a league in which Buendia, who has also been touted as a potential “excellent” signing for River Plate [DSports Radio], has only made one start for Villa.
It now remains to be seen if Farke can pull some strings to lure the Argentinian to Elland Road, having worked with him at Norwich.
If not, the Championship leaders can abandon their ambitions of signing Buendía from Aston Villa for the second half of the season.
