Leeds United suffer blow in race to sign £3.5m ‘gem’ as Alessandro Nesta takes new job

Crysencio Summerville, Willy Gnonto, Illan Meslier, Archie Gray and Ilia Gruev have attracted attention from top clubs and a number of moves are expected to take place in the coming months.

For Leeds to remain competitive and push for promotion next season, the Whites need to sell big and make a profit. But to do that, Leeds will need to buy cheap, secure a few loans or even free transfers.

One of the players Leeds are believed to be interested in signing is Reggiana’s £3.5m-rated midfielder Natan Girma. The 6ft 2in playmaker impressed in Italy’s second tier in the 2023-24 campaign, scoring six goals.

Leeds suffer the knock of Natan Girma as Nesta takes on a new role

Of course, Leeds welcomed back Brenden Aaronson, despite the American jumping ship last summer, to join Union Berlin on loan after relegation, easing the need to bring in a new signing at No.10.

But ‘gem’ Girma is on Leeds’ list, with the Whites saying they have made inquiries and held talks for the playmaker in recent months. However, Leeds are not alone in the race to land Girma’s signature.

Initial reports said Watford were excited, but so were Serie A side Monza. The top Italian outfit finished a very solid 12th last season but have just lost their manager in Raffaele Palladino.

Nesta takes Monza’s role and could now sign Leeds target Girma

This in turn dealt a blow to Leeds’ pursuit of signing Girma. That’s because Monza have tapped Italian legend Nesta to take over as the club’s new boss in 2024-25, taking over from Reggiana.

There is no doubt that Girma’s best season came in 2023-24 under Nesta. With Monza interested and now boasting the manager who has had Girma at his disposal for the past year, Girma seems destined for Monza.

Leeds now have Aaronson, but having a player like Girma, who can play deeper in midfield or out wide and boasts similarities to Georginio Rutter, would have been a strong addition to the squad.