Lecce, tug of war with Leeds over Krstovic: 12 million "at stake"

The hottest name at Lecce is Nikola Krstovic. Since January, the Montenegrin striker has been the object of desire of numerous clubs, who want to secure his services. In the transfer market, first Betis Sevilla and then Milan (who were willing to leave him in Salento until the end of the championship) tried to convince Saverio Sticchi Damiani and Pantaleo Corvino to sell him. But the managers of the Giallorossi club did not accept, postponing any discussion until the summer.

As expected given his performances with Lecce, Krstovic has seen an increase in the number of suitors for his “card”. Since last week, the club that has been trying to land the most blows to close the circle is Leeds United. The emissaries of the English club want to field the Montenegrin in the next Premier League, convinced that the investment needed today to secure him will bear fruit in the future, when the player's value will soar beyond measure. Leeds have made their offer, which is around 23 million euros, but the head of the technical area Corvino and the sporting director Stefano Trinchera have not accepted.

For Lecce, Krstovic's valuation fluctuates between 30 and 35 million. "We are healthy - repeats the Vernole manager - We have no need to sell". It is understood: "We will do it, but at the price we will establish".

The English club does not intend to give up. In the week that begins today a relaunch is expected, a retouching of the economic proposal. It will be necessary to verify whether it will come close to the request of the Salento club. Otherwise, the answer will be again "no". Waiting for further developments that, we can be sure, will arrive.

In this context, Roma is watching. Coach Gian Piero Gasperini would like Gianluca Scamacca, who he managed to bring to Atalanta last summer. The 26-year-old striker would gladly follow him to the capital, but the “Goddess” is asking a lot to let him go. So the Giallorossi market representatives are monitoring Krstovic, who the new coach also likes. However, in Lecce, as in Bergamo, it is not easy to do the “shopping” because Corvino demands that his “jewels” be paid for what they are worth.

Roma's top brass have not yet launched a decisive attack on the Montenegrin, but it seems that, if they decided to do so, they would offer a few million and a technical counterpart, a player who could be of interest to the Salento club.

The third wheel, at the moment, seems to be Sporting Lisbon. The Portuguese have already seen with their own hands that Lecce launches players of quality. It will be remembered that, in the summer of 2023, the Portuguese managers bought the midfielder Morten Hjulmand from the Salento team, paying just over 20 million euros, including bonuses, into the coffers of the club on Via Colonel Costadura. Well, in two seasons, the Dane has taken the stage and contributed with high-level performances to the successes of Sporting, of which he has become the captain. In short, his value has tripled and today he is valued at around 60 million.

The Lisbon team will most likely lose centre-forward Victor Gyokeres, one of the world's top strikers, courted by numerous European clubs including Juventus. So, in view of the Swede's possible farewell, Sporting has thought of replacing him with Krstovic, in the belief that the Montenegrin could turn into a colossal business like that of Hjulmand. Also in this case, as with Roma, the Portuguese have not yet completely broken the ice because, before investing in Salento, they must be sure of cashing in with the sale of Gyokeres. As soon as they are aware that everything has been sorted out, they will throw themselves decisively at the Montenegrin. Roma and Sporting Lisbon's need to temporize could favor Leeds, who instead have already decided to focus on the Giallorossi striker. This is why the English will return to the charge this week, in an attempt to write the final word on the negotiation and sign Krstovic.

Corvino and Trinchera, for their part, knowing full well that it is highly unlikely that the Montenegrin will remain in Salento, have long since prepared their strategies to include in the squad a worthy replacement for the Montenegrin and a second central striker who can act as a valid alternative.