Leeds close to agreement with prolific striker after help from super agent - report
Leeds United are close to agreeing terms with Hull City striker Abel Hernandez, according to a report.
LeedsLive claim that the 27-year-old striker, who is out of contract in June and would be available as a free agent, is close to accepting a lucrative offer to head to Elland Road.
Owner Andrea Radrizzani has personally spearheaded the talks and it looks like his influence might have won Leeds the battle.
The report adds that super agent Mino Raiola, who represents Paul Pogba and Romelu Lukaku, and is a close friend of Radrizzani, is close to Hernandez's representatives and has pushed the Leeds move as the right deal for him to take.
Another report in the Hull Daily Mail says that Hernandez has turned down a huge offer "beyond any they would normally table in the Championship" for Hernandez.
Football Insider verdict:
Leeds are taking a very different approach this summer, and with Marcelo Bielsa reportedly in talks over becoming the new manager, and Abel Hernandez set to join, it's been an exciting few days. The ambition Radrizzani is showing is impressive. Putting Bielsa to one side, Hernandez is a striker that Wolves and Celtic have had their eye on, and if Radrizzani can convince him to join Leeds ahead of them, it will be a real coup. They've missed regular goals since Chris Wood left to join Burnley, and we think Hernandez would easily get 20+ in the league alone. The lack of a transfer fee obviously gives them wriggle room with the wages, but it seems that Hernandez would be looking for at least £40k-a-week which would obviously smash the current wage structure. It seems like Radrizzani has finally twigged that to get into the Premier League, you have to pay close to Premier League money.
In other Leeds news, Lee Sharpe makes stunning £50million Leeds transfer claim