Fresh twist in Leeds United player's future as Fabrizio Romano shares transfer update

Leeds United centre-back Diego Llorente's future at Elland Road has taken yet another twist in this summer's transfer window as questions continue to swirl around the star's potential involvement under manager Daniel Farke.

In recent days, the 30-year-old has been linked to a move to La Liga outfit Real Betis, leading many Whites supporters to wonder whether they'll see a permanent exit from the Spaniard given he quickly expressed his desire to leave the club when first joining Roma. Having signed from Real Sociedad for £18m in 2020, Llorente still has two years on his current deal at Leeds but has previously highlighted his "amazing" time in Italy.

"The most difficult moment in my career has to be the Europa League final lost in Budapest with Roma," he claimed in an interview last month. "It was a huge disappointment for all of us. When you get to so close to winning a trophy and you are eliminated on penalties… it hurts.

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"Roma? I like it when we go to the Olimpico on match days. Seeing a lot of people, living that environment with so much passion. The first time for me was with Cremonese in the Coppa Italia. Even though we lost, I can’t forget that evening. The stadium is always amazing."

Speaking in a recent interview with Spagnaculturaescienza.it, Llorente was also quizzed on his future but admitted he was in the dark on the subject. "This team is like a big family: the atmosphere in the club is always positive," he admitted. "I feel the support of the club, of the management. I am very happy here, my wife and children too. I don’t know what the future may hold, but as a club I will always have a fantastic memories of Roma."

Now though, transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano has provided a major update on the star's future, claiming that he'll be leaving his loan spell at Roma this summer, despite reports suggesting the Serie A side were hoping to keep the Spaniard for the 2024/25 campaign.

In a tweet, he claimed that Daniele De Rossi's side are focusing on scouting younger talents, clearly meaning that Llorente will no longer fit into their project given he's already 30. Having spent the last 18 months out on loan there, it's quite a strange decision to make given the amount of suggestions that the club would seek a permanent deal for the star but it's now clear that a move to Spain may be Leeds' best option to try and recoup some of their £18m fee.