Leeds United defender Leo Hjelde is reportedly in talks with Serie A side Salernitana over a potential permanent transfer to the Italian outfit.
Leeds are in a tough position this summer as they face up to their relegation from the Premier League, planning a promotion bid in the Championship with a side set to be stripped of key assets.
Picking up the pieces as they club loses star players will be some of the younger options at Elland Road, some of those being out on loan last season in the EFL or elsewhere.
That includes Leo Hjelde, but Sky Sports Italy reported this week that the 19-year-old is in talks with Salernitana in the Serie A over a permanent transfer.
Here, we look at two reasons why Leeds would be making a big mistake on this transfer…
His potential for the future
Leeds have invested a lot of time and money into developing young players in the under-21s, recruiting from across Europe to strengthen the emerging group of talent.
Hjelde joined from Celtic for that reason with first-team exposure already under his belt prior to joining, and his stint at Rotherham United last season only proved his potential for the future.
Of course, there are still areas for him to improve, but that’s to be expected from a teenager finding his feet in the senior game still.
If Leeds were to let him go on a permanent basis, they would be stopping themselves from reaping the rewards of spotting Hjelde’s talent at an early age – he’s a Premier League player in the making.
He might be required this season
If it wasn’t already clear from relegation, it’s becoming more and more apparent through the number of outgoings that Hjelde is going to be required this season.
Diego Llorente, Robin Koch, and Junior Firpo are all to leave in the coming weeks meaning that we will have a shortage of centre-backs and left-backs.
Hjelde might not be who we want to start for a 46-game season, but he’s a very reliable option for us in the squad and we can’t let more depth go.
Leeds need to be retaining these sorts of valuable players for the long haul of a promotion push, and he’d be so much better for it.
