Leeds United defender Laurens De Bock has agreed the terms of a loan move to Belgian club KV Oostende, according to a reliable journalist.
Correspondent Tomas Taecke, who writes for Belgian newspaper HLN, reported on his personal Twitter account on Tuesday afternoon that the left-back is heading to the top-flight club for the entirety of the 2018-19 season.
BREAKING: Laurens De Bock keert terug naar België. Verdediger gaat op huurbasis aan de slag bij @kvoostende tot het einde van dit seizoen @hlnsport #LUFC @LUFC @ClubBrugge #clubbrugge
— Tomas Taecke (@tomaztaecke) August 21, 2018
De Bock joined Leeds in the January window from Club Brugge for a fee reported by the Yorkshire Evening Post to be £1.5million.
Good move for Leeds?
Yes. Marcelo Bielsa has not named the former Belgium Under-21 international is his squad for any of Leeds’ four competitive matches this season. Barry Douglas has hit the ground running since joining from Wolves for £3million and has immediately established himself as the first choice left-back, while academy product Tom Pearce started in the League Cup last Tuesday and was on the bench for Saturday’s win against Rotherham. With the versatile Gaetano Berardi able to operate in both full-back positions, De Bock has plummeted down the pecking order and it is hard to see that changing in the foreseeable future. It makes sense for Leeds to get his salary off their wage bill.
This Is Futbol rating 7/10
Likely to happen?
Barring any late mishaps, expect this deal to go through. HLN are an excellent source for Belgium-related transfers, especially those involved in moves to or from England. With De Bock way down the pecking order at Leeds, it is no surprise that he is heading out of the club before the window swings shut.
This Is Futbol rating 9/10