Serie A fullback linked with potential move to Leeds United

Leeds United was fairly active in the summer transfer window at the beginning of the season, bringing in a number of new players for both the first team and the Academy. A number of players from Spain joined the Academy, and Leeds also snapped up talent from other leagues, raiding Serie A’s Chievo Verona for Caleb Ekuban, the Swiss league’s Lugano for Gjanni Alioski, and the second division in Spain for CD Huesca’s Samu Saiz.

However, the club chose to use the domestic market for defensive reinforments. Leeds brought in Matthew Pennington on loan from Everton and Cameron Borthwick-Jackson on loan from Manchester United. While the loan deal for Kyle Bartley last season paid off dividends, it appears that the club has not had the same success with the loans this season. And while Pennington has performed well for stretches for the club, bringing in Borthwick-Jackson to be the first choice left back has not worked out at all for Leeds.

Reports out of Italy now claim that Leeds, along with Brighton & Hove Albion and one of the Sheffield clubs, are interested in signing Genoa’s Aleandro Rosi. The 30 year-old defender is reportedly out of contract at the end of the season, and the club and the player have not been able to come to an agreement about the length of a new contract.

Rosi has made 14 appearances for Genoa this season after spending the 2016-17 season out on loan at fellow Serie A club Crotone, making 31 appearances. Rosi plays primarily as a right back, but can play as a winger and as a defensive midfielder as well. And while that’s not a position of need right now at Leeds, first choice right back Luke Ayling has appeared in every match so far this season for the club. The lack of rest for Ayling has lead many fans to believe that his form is slipping due to the extreme demands that have been placed on him, so some cover at full-back would be a good thing for the club.

Will Leeds really make a move for the Genoa fullback? He’s out of contract, so Leeds could pick him up on the cheap, but Leeds have been linked to a number of Serie A defenders in the past, and none of them have come to fruition, although that might have had more to do with the price and wage demands than a lack of interest from the club. The age of the player also suggests that this would be a temporary deal, as Leeds have signed a number of younger players all season.

However, successful Leeds transfer rumours usually start overseas, so this could be a link worth remembering, even if the player isn’t exactly a perfect fit for the needs of the club.