Confirmed: Leeds star is now set to be first high profile departure from Elland Road this summer as Whites reach advanced talks over sale of player
Leeds United are in “advanced talks” with Real Betis about the loan departure of Marc Roca from Elland Road, journalist Rudy Galetti has told GIVEMESPORT.
The Whites may have to offload some of their squad following their relegation from the Premier League on the season’s final day.
According to Mundo Deportivo, Real Betis have beaten off competition to secure the loan signing of Roca, who will leave Elland Road temporarily, having only arrived 12 months prior.
The 26-year-old signed for the Yorkshire outfit for a fee worth around £10m from Bayern Munich, but the midfielder couldn’t prevent the club’s relegation to the Championship and is set for a top-flight move elsewhere.
However, reports in Spain (via LeedsLive) have claimed that Girona could now find themselves in pole position to hijack the Leeds star’s move to Betis, with the former in a stronger financial position.
TalkSPORT reporter Alex Crook has recently told GIVEMESPORT that midfield duo Tyler Adams and Roca could leave the Whites this summer.
And Galetti has claimed that Betis’ financial situation means a deal between Manuel Pellegrini’s side and Leeds could take longer to finalise, but there is confidence that a move will be completed.
Galetti told GIVEMESPORT: “Real Betis and Leeds are in advanced talks for the loan of Marc Roca. However, the economic situation of the Spanish club means this deal will take longer to finalise. Currently, the negotiation is not at risk, and there is confidence to take the final steps soon.”
At a fee of just £10m, Roca has impressed in patches at Elland Road but has hardly set the world alight and could not be the catalyst to keep Leeds in the Premier League.
The former Spain U21 international, once described as “impressive” by former Bayern boss Julian Nagelsmann, made 36 appearances for the Whites this term, hitting the back of the net once and registering two assists from a holding midfield position.
However, the 6 foot star does compare favourably with his positional peers in some aspects of his game, ranking in the top 18% of midfielders across Europe’s big five leagues as well as the Champions League and Europa League for progressive passes per 90 minutes (6.69) over the last 365 days, according to FBref.
Leeds will be disappointed with how Roca’s short spell at Elland Road has turned out so far.
But a return to form in a loan spell away could either increase his value or improve his confidence ahead of a potential return to the side if Leeds are to bounce back into the Premier League.
