Leeds United confirm defender exit with eight-figure sum expected to cap January transfer window

Ink may still be drying on Diego Llorente’s latest Leeds United contract, but the centre-back has departed Elland Road today. Less than six weeks after signing terms which kept him in West Yorkshire until June 2026, Llorente has joined Roma on loan with a view to a permanent switch.

The 29-year-old will now link up with Jose Mourinho in Italy, where the Stadio Olimpico outfit are gunning for Champions League qualification from Serie A. The season-long loan is expected to become a permanent deal in the summer for around the £18m Leeds paid Real Sociedad for Llorente in 2020.

That transfer fee was protected by the new contract Llorente signed last month. While the Spain international has started a lot of matches since arriving in September 2020, his form had made some question the wisdom of extending his deal.

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And yet, whether it was a part of Victor Orta’s January plan or not at that point, it’s an arrangement which has worked out well for the Whites, with Roma also picking up 100 per cent of the defender's salary. News of Llorente’s arrival in Italy on Monday morning to finalise the transfer came like a bolt from the blue.

While Max Wober was added to the club’s defensive ranks in January, little thought had been given to any senior faces exiting. Some may believe this departure does leave the club a little light for numbers if injuries hit, but Leeds have taken their chance to recoup an eight-figure sum for a player lacking in form and confidence on the terraces.

In 20/21, Llorente started 13 of the final 14 games of an injury-hit season, then last term he started 31 out of 42 games in all competitions before starting all seven of the opening games this campaign. An error-strewn display at Brentford in September has forced him to the sidelines since then, with one league and three cup starts across 17 subsequent fixtures.

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