Leeds United are interested in a deal to bring Joaquin Correa to Elland Road in the summer transfer window.
What’s the talk?
That’s according to a report by Italian publication Gazzetta dello Sport (via SempreInter), who claim that, following Raphinha’s £55m move to Barcelona, Victor Orta is now targeting a move for the Inter Milan forward as a replacement for the 25-year-old Brazilian.
The report goes on to state that West Ham United, Sevilla and Marseille are also interested in a deal for the 27-year-old this summer, while the Serie A club are believed to be willing to part with the Argentina international for a figure in the region of €22.5m (£19m).
“One of the best”
Considering just how impressive Correa has been in Italy over recent seasons, it is easy to see why Orta would be interested in a deal to bring the forward to Elland Road ahead of the Whites 2022/23 Premier League campaign.
Indeed, over his 28 Serie A appearances for SS Lazio back in 2020/21, the £25.5m-rated talent highly impressed for the Biancocelesti, scoring eight goals, registering four assists and creating three big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 1.9 shots, making one key pass and completing 1.3 dribbles per game.
These returns saw the 27-year-old who Simone Inzaghi dubbed “formidable” average an eye-catching SofaScore match rating of 6.96, ranking him as Lazio’s joint fifth-best performer in the league in the season before last.
The versatile attacker – who is comfortable operating from attacking midfield, on the left wing and at centre-forward – also impressed over his eight Champions League appearances that year, scoring three goals, providing two assists and creating four big chances, with these returns seeing the Argentine average a quite remarkable SofaScore match rating of 7.11.
This form saw Inzaghi spend €25m (£21m) to bring Correa with him to the San Siro last summer, with the £107k-per-week forward going on to score six goals, register one assist and create two big chances over his 26 Serie A fixtures – only 12 of which came as starts – in his debut campaign with the Nerazzurri.
As such, it is not difficult to see why Orta would be interested in a move to bring the player who Jerry Mancini labelled “one of the best” to LS11 this summer, as, at a cost of just £19m, Correa could quite easily prove to be one of the bargains of the summer transfer window.
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