It was reported by the Sunday Mirror during the last January transfer window (16/1; page 73) that Leeds United were on the verge of announcing a deal for Nicolas Raskin after agreeing a fee for the midfielder.
At the time, Leeds were dealing with a raft of injuries, with Kalvin Phillips one of those sidelined. And supporters were crying out for the club to sign another midfielder.
Ultimately, those reports proved to be wide of the mark. And actually, Leeds failed to bring anyone in for the first-team while the window was open.
UK clubs monitoring Raskin one year after he was reportedly on verge of Leeds move
That obviously proved to be a massive gamble. And it contributed to nearly costing the club its place at English football’s top table.
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We have since signed Tyler Adams, Marc Roca and Darko Gyabi. But we have also sold Phillips. We also now play with two slightly deeper central midfielders. So signing another midfielder in January would go down well with supporters.
And interestingly, Raskin’s future has become a talking point once again.
Fabrizio Romano has now taken to Twitter to suggest that the 21-year-old is out of contract in the summer. And talks over a new deal have now broken down.
He will now train with the youngsters at Standard Liege.
Romano does not name any specific clubs monitoring his situation. But he did claim that sides in the UK are amongst those keen on the youngster…
Of course, Leeds have changed since the previous links with Raskin. But Victor Orta has shown in the past that he is open to going back in for targets if he misses out the first time.
Just over the weekend, reports from the Daily Mirror claimed that Leeds have remained in contact with Cody Gakpo’s advisors.
So if Leeds were indeed in the market for Raskin last January, perhaps it would not be a surprise if they were one of the sides very much aware of his situation now.