'Wait with excitement' - Leeds United loan outcast's cryptic message amid uncertain future

On-loan Leeds United defender Diego Llorente looks set to take time away from football as speculation over his long-term future continues to surface.

Llorente has just completed his second loan spell at Roma, having initially joined them in January of last year before returning in the summer. The Spanish international has grown into his role under new manager Daniele De Rossi and became a regular starter, helping the Serie A side to a sixth-placed finish and qualification for the Europa League.

Reports on Llorente’s future have been conflicting in recent weeks, with suggestions that a certain number of appearances has already triggered a permanent option while other outlets claim talks are ongoing between Roma and Leeds. It does look as though the defender’s future will be away from Elland Road, however, and he will now ‘wait with excitement’ ahead of the summer.

In a post on his Instagram account, Llorente wrote: “It’s time to look at what is ahead and achieve balance. We cannot be happy because we have a team to be more committed and we are always trying to achieve great goals. However, we have overcome difficult moments and left everything on the field. We fought and suffered. Thank you for your incredible support. The days of disconnection, rest begin… and wait with excitement.”

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Llorente is among a number of Leeds players to have forced a loan exit last summer, following relegation to the Championship. The 30-year-old joined the likes of Jack Harrison, Rasmus Kristensen and Marc Roca in pushing through an Elland Road departure in search of top-flight football elsewhere.

Failure to achieve promotion back into the Premier League has fuelled more uncertainty regarding the futures of those out on loan, but the club is not facing a similar scenario in the upcoming transfer window and will retain a much greater degree of control over outgoing business. It is hard to see any returning to feature in West Yorkshire and the need for cash means sales are likely.

Another season in the Championship has brought forth some tough financial issues at Leeds, who still owe tens of millions of pounds in transfer instalments for those who have since left on loan. In a recent interview with the Yorkshire Evening Post, chairman Paraag Marathe made no secret of the need to raise funds in order to remain compliant with profitability and sustainability [P&S] rules.

“There are certain things that we need to do and we will make sure we are fully compliant with P&S, as we always have been,” he said. “And there are certain trade-offs that we have to make and so we'll have to get to the drawing board and figure out which moves we have to make sure that we are compliant. It's too early to say. Obviously Archie is a tremendous player, as are all of the players who put in so much effort for us, but you know, every season brings change and so I can't yet comment on it, but we'll see what happens."