Leeds United are set to complete a late deal for 17-year-old defender Leo Hjelde from Celtic to boost Marcelo Bielsa’s squad.
According to Phil Hay of The Athletic, as relayed by The Sun, Leeds United are set to complete another transfer before the deadline day, as they move to sign Celtic’s highly-rated centre-back Leo Hjelde. The Scottish side are open to letting him leave, and a deal could be finalised imminently, which could provide Marcelo Bielsa with an exciting prospect on his hands.
Leo Hjelde, the 17-year-old, highly-rated prospect from Celtic, is primed to move to Leeds in the coming days. The interest in the defender emerged when he spent the second half of last season with Ross County on loan. The Norwegian is regarded as a fine prospect by Bielsa, who is reportedly keen on recruiting him at Eland Road.
Hjelde has never played a competitive game for Celtic yet, and the club is willing to let him leave if a viable offer arrives. Despite featuring prominently during pre-season, Hjelde seems to be out of new Hoops manager Ange Postecoglou’s plans as the season is already underway.
The defender, dubbed as the ‘next Virgil Van Dijk’ for his physical appearance and being a Celtic player – is viewed by Bielsa as a good prospect to be developed under his tutelage. He may not come straight into the first-team squad, with the youngster tipped to link up with the Whites Under-23 side, but could feature at some stage of this long season.
While Bielsa had already admitted Leeds could have completed their transfer business, it was one of Eland Road’s busiest windows. The Premier League side recruited several players, including making Jack Harrison’s deal permanent from Manchester City. The club also renewed Patrick Bamford’s contract.
They also recruited Junior Firpo from Barcelona to replace Ezgjan Alioski, who left after several seasons. Leeds also signed goalkeeper Kristoffer Klaesson from Norwegian side Valerenga to replace Kiko Casilla, who joined Elche on loan.
The Elland Road outfit might have exhausted all their transfer budget; the possible late signing of Hjelde is unlikely to make a hole in their pockets. The prospect of joining Leeds under Bielsa would have been tempting for the Norwegian prodigy, and a deal is imminent, with a fee also said to be agreed as well.