If reports are to be believed, Leeds United have already been gazumped by a Premier League giant once during the January transfer window.
Daniel Farke’s Championship challengers reportedly bid for Abdokudir Khusanov back in December.
A month later, one of the most highly-rated young defenders in European football was shaking hands with Pep Guardiola at Manchester City after the Premier League champions agreed a deal rising to £42 million.
And, ahead of Monday night’s 11pm deadline, it appears that another player allegedly on Leeds United’s radar is set to secure a big-money move of his own to one of England’s most deep-pocketed institutions.
Leeds were linked with Sporting Lisbon starlet Dario Essugo, seemingly pursuing a £6 million loan-to-buy deal.
A graduate of Sporting’s fabled academy, like Luis Figo, Nani, Cristiano Ronaldo and many more, Essugo was already on loan at La Liga outfit Las Palmas. A complicated deal to do, then, as Leeds would have to find a way to terminate his stay in the Canary Islands before agreeing a new loan at Elland Road.
Though as Dario Essugo blossomed into one of Spain’s finest ball-winners – he ranked amongst one of Europe’s finest young midfielders when it comes to winning back position – the Portugal Under-21 international certainly felt like a punt worth taking.
Leeds United linked Dario Essugo set for Premier League switch with Chelsea
Those Leeds links would go quiet, however, following the timely return from injury of Ethan Ampadu. Joshua Guilavogui is also now expected to stay in West Yorkshire despite interest from promotion-chasing Ligue 2 outfit Paris FC.
And while all the signs are pointing towards Essugo securing a move to England on the final day of the window, it appears the tough-tackling 19-year-old is now set to become the latest fresh-faced prospect to join the Chelsea project.
According to O Jogo, Chelsea are set to sign Essugo for a fee in the region of £17 million. Almost three times the sum Leeds were rumoured to be offering.
Fellow Portuguese publication Record add that a deal is now ‘very close’ to completion.
Essugo ranks amongst La Liga’s best in Las Palmas loan spell
Obviously, opportunities may be limited initially at Stamford Bridge. Essugo would face competition from Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo, to name but too.
Do not be surprised to see the teenager farmed out on loan to Strasbourg, for instance, another club under the Clearlake umbrella who have benefitted from Todd Boehly’s contact book.
There are shades of Caicedo, meanwhile, in young Essugo.
He ranks in the top ten of all La Liga players this season for tackles [2.4 per game] and interceptions [1.7 per game], while an 87 per cent pass completion rate on loan at Las Palmas shows that there is some silk amongst the steel.
Luis Dias, a technical consultant for the Portuguese Football Federation, could not speak highly enough of Essugo when quizzed on by Marca recently.
“[Essugo impressed me because of his] physical condition, but above all his calmness and personality with the ball,” Dias says. “He always caught our attention. But the step from 15 to 16 years was a huge explosion.
“He jumped three categories [in the Portuguese youth team].”
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