Striker offered to Leeds United in 2023 now being eyed by Arsenal in £40m move after 14 goals in 22 games

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Back in early April 2023, Leeds United were sat two points above the Premier League relegation zone after 30 games played and looked in a solid place to go and avoid the drop.

Javi Gracia looked as if he was about to guide Leeds to safety after wins over Wolves and Nottingham Forest, either side of a defeat to Arsenal. But on April 9, Leeds suffered a 5-1 hammering to Crystal Palace.

That heavy defeat at Elland Road was the first of seven defeats in the next nine Premier League matches, a run which ultimately saw Leeds go down and Gracia sacked with the Spaniard replaced by Sam Allardyce.

But for a brief moment, Leeds fans were confident they would remain in the top tier after wins against Nottingham Forest and Wolves and it saw Leeds plan to make signings for another Premier League term.

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Leeds were offered Mateo Retegui, now Arsenal fancy £40m move

Following the win over Forest, reports emerged that said Leeds were offered Mateo Retegui. An Argentina international that eventually joined Genoa in the summer of 2023 from Tigre, after links with Elland Road.

A year later and in the most-recent summer window, nine goals in 31 Genoa games saw Atalanta decide to spend £20m on him. Since, he has 14 goals in 22 games for Atalanta, two in the Champions League.

He missed a sitter to equalise against Real Madrid on Tuesday night, but his form has now attracted the attention of Arsenal. CalcioMercato say Arsenal have sent scouts to watch, with Atalanta wanting £40m.

Leeds spent more on Joel Piroe than Mateo Retegui in 2023

Leeds were relegated 18 months ago and it meant that any chance of signing a player like Retegui was dead. A player of that potential would only have entertained a top tier, after 35 goals in 70 Tigre games.

Genoa spent £13m to land Retegui in a deal £3m less than the amount Leeds spent to land Joel Piroe from Swansea, with The Whites agreeing an initial £10.5m but a deal that could reach for £16m for Piroe.

Joel Piroe and Mateo Retegui compared since summer 2023 moves:

Since, Piroe has scored 21 goals with Leeds in the second tier. Retegui has 23, while playing for Ganoa and Atalanta in Serie A, as well as netting in the Champions League, making him the better signing.