Leeds United miss out on transfer target as move to 'huge' Champions League club confirmed
Leeds United were interested in taking the defender on loan for the season.
Leeds United have missed out on transfer target Hugo Bueno following confirmation of his loan move to Feyenoord.
Bueno’s season-long loan move to the Dutch side was confirmed on Tuesday morning, with the 21-year-old keen to get out and enjoy regular football, having fallen behind Rayan Ait-Nouri in the pecking order at Wolverhampton Wanderers. The Spain under-21 international started just nine Premier League games last season.
“As soon as the opportunity arose to play for Feyenoord this season, I knew I had to grab it,” Bueno told Feyenoord’s website. “This is a huge club, with fantastic supporters, where every game is about winning. I love that. I can't wait to play my first game for Feyenoord and be important for the team.”
Leeds are in the market for full-back reinforcements and were keen on Bueno, with a loan move to Elland Road emerging as a possibility earlier this summer. But competition from top-flight clubs always made a move unlikely and the chance to play Champions League football with Feyenoord proved decisive.
"Feyenoord are a club playing Champions League football, in a good league, are well known for developing players and have been great throughout,” Wolves sporting director Matt Hobbs said of the move. “For us, it feels like the perfect club for him to go to develop and we're looking forward to seeing him develop over the next year.
"Rayan was unbelievable last year and Hugo was really understanding - he's a great pro, trains hard every day, works hard, and when players are like that, and we feel it's the right deal and right club, you want to make it happen."
Bueno will not be the only defensive option Leeds have looked at this summer and reports over the weekend linked them with interest in Chelsea’s Bashir Humphreys. Fabrizio Romano named the Whites alongside Championship rivals Burnley in keeping an eye on the 21-year-old, who is thought to be on his way out of Stamford Bridge ‘in the coming days’.
The YEP understands Leeds have looked at Humphreys but do not consider him a priority, preferring to bring in a more natural full-back, rather than someone who can cover both out wide and in central defence. Interest in Bueno would suggest a left-sided player is the preference, given Sam Byram can more naturally cover right-back.
Full-back is one of three key areas Leeds are thought to be eyeing in the final weeks of the window, with reinforcements also wanted in central midfield and out wide. The latter position seems to be the current point of focus with interest in Jonathan Rowe ongoing amid the winger’s omission from Norwich City’s matchday squad for Saturday’s 2-0 defeat at Oxford - he has since been told to train away from the first-team and is not expected to feature against Stevenage this evening.
Leeds had a £3.3m bid for midfielder Dejan Ljubicic rejected by FC Koln earlier this summer and the YEP understands a second move for the 26-year-old is currently unlikely, with Koln demanding a very high fee for someone into the final year of their contract. The YEP also understands links to Liverpool youngster Bobby Clark are wide of the mark.