Leeds United have given up on a deal for Derby County striker Matej Vydra, according to a reliable journalist, who said the move is “not happening”.
Phil Hay, senior reporter from the Yorkshire Evening Post, made the claim on his personal Twitter page on Sunday night, after a protracted chase that seemed to stumble on his wage demands.
we can also consider the Matej Vydra chase over. Not happening.
— Phil Hay (@PhilHay_) July 29, 2018
It’s a blow for Leeds, although they are expected to wrap up a deal for Middlesbrough striker Patrick Bamford on Monday, with the player reportedly due at Elland Road for a medical.
Hay went on to say that the deal had been a genuine one and that it hadn’t fallen through on Derby’s side, but that it was personal terms that couldn’t be agreed.
don't think Derby have been playing games with anyone. And I wonder if Vydra has played his all wrong. Interested now to see if he finds another move.
— Phil Hay (@PhilHay_) July 29, 2018
OPINION
This is a real shame. Vydra was the Championship’s top scorer last season. 21 goals in 40 league games are exactly the sort of numbers that Leeds fans have been dreaming of. On the face of it, Bamford is far less prolific, but if Marcelo Bielsa can utilise him right, he could be a big talent. Bamford and Vydra was the dream move though but it seems that Leeds couldn’t convince him to compromise his wage demands on the back of a stellar season. There is still time left in the window for a change of heart from Vydra and it does seem that Derby want – and possibly need – to sell, but it also sounds like Leeds have definitively given up on the deal. That will mean that there’s still money to spend. Leeds were reportedly going to spend £11m on Vydra and offer him a lucrative contract, but there’s not a lot of time left for Leeds to find and land a new target.