Leeds midfielder is homing in on a “shock” move back to Spain with Leeds approving a loan deal with Getafe, according to the Yorkshire Evening Post.
The deal would be with a view to a permanent transfer in the summer with the YEP claiming that Leeds value him “in the region of £6m”.
The report claims that the deal was struck after some intense negotiations after Saiz put in a request to quit English football.
His partner is heavily pregnant and they both want to return to Spain.
Saiz will now head to Spain for a medical and has been left out of the squad for tomorrow’s game with Burnley.
OPINION
The details around the deal are still sketchy but if Leeds can get £6million for Saiz then it represents a decent profit on a player who promised so much and eventually delivered little. Incredibly, his last league goal was over 15 months away for Thomas Christiansen, which means Saiz hasn’t scored in the Championship under the last two club managers. That’s not good enough and doubling their money must be seen as a good deal internally. There are potential problems. The YEP report claims that the deal is a loan with a view to a permanent transfer. It’s important that Leeds ensure that this is a loan with an obligation to buy. That £6million, even if not available for reinvestment in the January window, is hugely important. Also, there’s the question of a replacement for him. The report says it’s not known whether manager Marcelo Bielsa will look for a replacement. And he does have Izzy Brown coming back. But the Chelsea loanee still hasn’t played for Leeds and is far from a certain first-team player at the moment. A year out of the game can be tough to come back from. Getting Saiz out quickly – and it appears he’s played his last game for the club – is a great move though which should be applauded. There are a lot of clubs who could learn from how Leeds have got this sorted so quickly.