Leeds United are looking to add quality to their team in January after a disappointing opening half of the season.
Leeds currently sit down in 16th in the Premier League, far below the lofty heights they reached by finishing ninth last season. And Marcelo Bielsa desperately wants to rectify this and squash any threat of relegation by bringing in some quality to his severely depleted squad.
According to TNT Sports as quoted by HITC, Bielsa’s first target in these terms appears to be Brazilian left-back Guilherme Arana. With Leeds submitting an offer of 150 million Brazilian Real, or £20m.
A player who might be more familiar to players of Football Manager or those who are regular watchers of La Liga or the Serie A, Arana has had spells in both leagues where he has played as an aggressive left-back.
Arana was also a part of Brazil’s Gold medal winning Olympic team, playing every minute of every game.
The 24-year-old currently plays for Brazilian Serie A champions Atlético Mineiro, providing five goals and seven assists in 48 games last season.
He is quoted by Spanish Outlet AS as drawing inspiration from Brazilian legend Roberto Carlos, and trying his best to make his game as much like his idols as possible.
It is a curious situation for Leeds considering they only signed Junior Firpo in the summer, who also plays as a left-back.
But Leeds certainly need quality and depth, as having a small squad in the Premier League is too fine a line to try and tread considering the possibility of injuries and suspensions.