So it would certainly appear that Victor Orta had eyes on the Champions League last 16 tie between Bayern Munich and Red Bull Salzburg this past season, with The Athletic reporting that Leeds now want Marc Roca.
The Whites have already signed Brenden Aaronson and Rasmus Kristensen from Salzburg. And it now seems that we are weighing up a move for the Bayern midfielder.
According to The Athletic, the Bavarian giants want around £10 million for the Spaniard.
But what else do we know about Roca? Here are five facts about the reported Leeds target:
Roca has played more than 100 times in La Liga
Roca is yet to really make an impact at Bayern, with just 24 appearances across two years. But he joined the club off the back of a spell where he featured 100 times in La Liga for Espanyol.
Julian Nagelsmann loves him
His time at Bayern is yet to catch fire. However, Roca has received plenty of plaudits in the Bundesliga. Julian Nagelsmann suggested that he loves the midfielder and his attitude after one display. He noted that Roca showed why he should get the chance to play more often.
West Ham want him
According to The Athletic, West Ham are also admirers of the Catalonian. The Hammers, of course, are preparing for life without Mark Noble in their ranks ahead of next season.
Mikel Arteta dreamed of signing him
Following Espanyol’s relegation in 2020, it became clear that Roca would move on. And two of the clubs chasing him before his Bayern Munich move were Arsenal and Real Madrid. In fact, La Razon claimed that Mikel Arteta dreamed of signing him.
He’s been compared to Xabi Alonso
The Bundesliga’s official website named Xabi Alonso as the player Roca plays like in an article earlier this season. They also picked out Sergio Busquets as a player he has been compared to.
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