Leeds United have made an offer for free agent defender Diego Polenta, but have failed to convince him to head to England despite going in strong to sign him up this summer, according to Ovacion Digital.
The Uruguayan news outlet claims that Leeds approached the 26-year-old last month after his contract at Uruguayan Primera División club Nacional expired.
Mexican club Atlas and Saudi Arabian club Al-Ittihad have also been frustrated in their attempts to sign the available South American.
OPINION
Polenta is just approaching the prime of his career and boasts a lot of experience, so he could have been a neat signing by Leeds if they were able to snap up the free agent. However it appears that he is holding out for a much better offer after rejecting approaches from three different clubs on three different continents. Polenta has previously had spells in Italy at Bari and Genoa, but only really played in Serie B, with just one appearance to his name in the top-flight. Genoa are understood to have had an interest in re-signing him, but it looks as though the centre-back is being really picky about where to play next. Leeds need centre-backs though with just Pontus Jansson and Liam Cooper on their books at the moment. Polenta may have been a decent back-up option, but there’s no reason to suggest he would be better than what Marcelo Bielsa already has.