Championship record move: Leeds looked at signing amazing Hamer alternative
Leeds United supporters might feel a little frustrated with their side’s transfer business come the end of the day, knowing that the likes of Georginio Rutter, Crysencio Summerville and Archie Gray all walked away for mega bucks during this transfer window.
The Whites haven’t quite splashed the cash when it comes to their own incomings, however, with Ao Tanaka entering the building for a fee in and around the £3.3m mark on deadline day, which could prove to be a shrewd pick-up from Fortuna Dusseldorf down the line.
The Japan international might well end up shining at Elland Road, but he won’t be joined through the door by this expensive new recruit, who Leeds reportedly were chasing before a rejection then firmly stopped them in their tracks.
Leeds had major bid rejected for Zagreb star
According to Croatian outlet Sportske, Leeds were at one point chasing the services of Dinamo Zagreb star Martin Baturina as a last gasp statement purchase, with a bid even being put forward by the West Yorkshire titans.
That bid was in the region of an eye-watering £25m according to the outlet, with Zagreb accepting that bumper offer, before Baturina then rejected the advances of the Whites, owing to the fact he didn’t see Leeds as the best place to continue his footballing development.
This could well have been the out-there signing Leeds fans were crying out for, with the potential there for the 21-year-old to have been a bigger talent than Gustavo Hamer if the expensive capture was secured.
It looks unlikely that Leeds will win Hamer’s services, with this ambitious deal for Baturina – which would have been a record-breaking buy for the Championship – also unfortunately falling to the wayside.
What Baturina would have offered Leeds
Once labelled as being a “jewel” according to football talent scout Jacek Kulig, it’s fair to say there’s a lot of hype in the air surrounding Baturina’s future in the game.
From 125 senior games in the Zagreb ranks to date, the Croat ace has bagged 16 goals and picked up 31 assists, with five of those assists coming during the infancy of this season alone, as Baturina starred in the Champions League qualifying stages and back in regular league action for his boyhood employers.
