Leeds United are working on an ambitious move for Ajax defender Nicolas Tagliafico.
Boss Marcelo Bielsa wants a new left-back as a top priorities this summer and he sees fellow Argentinian Tagliafico as an ideal signing.
Ezgjan Alioski and Stuart Dallas have shared the role for Leeds this season after Bielsa failed to bring in a left-back last summer.
Alioski’s contract expires at the end of this season and he could well leave Elland Road but, either way, his manager wants to bring someone in and Tagliafico fits the bill.
The 28-year-old has a reputation as one of the toughest defenders in Dutch football and he has amassed a whopping 41 yellow cards and two reds in little more than three years for club and country.
(Image: Pool via REUTERS)
Tagliafico said: “I am the kind of player who can show his skills, like I do at Ajax where everyone knows how to play football.
“But I am also the kind of man who has learnt other strategies when I grew up in Argentina, which I need to use when it is not possible to win with skills and good football.
“What people think about me as a player does not bother me.
“What I find amusing is that the thing I hear most is that everyone always says that they would love to have a type of player like me in their team.”
(Image: Pro Shots/Sipa USA)
Tagliafico, who joined Ajax from Independiente in his homeland in 2018 and is set to play for Ajax on Sunday in the KNVB Cup final against Vitesse Arnhem, almost left Amsterdam last summer before deciding to sign a contract extension until 2023.
However, he added: “It was the right thing at the time because we have been so successful with Ajax in Europe and in the league, but now I am ready for a bigger move.
“I want to win another couple of trophies, including the Dutch Cup, and after that I want to make a decision about my future.”
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