Leeds United exit 'imminent' as defender 'agrees personal terms with La Liga side'

Real Betis are ready to push ahead and seal the €5m purchase of Leeds United defender Diego Llorente in the coming days. That's according to Spanish outlet Estadio Deportivo, who claim Llorente has agreed personal terms with the club and looks set to sign a four-year deal running to the end of the 2027-28 season.

The report goes as far to suggest the only thing holding up the deal at this point is the deal with Leeds, which is yet to be fully agreed but isn't expected to be an issue. In fact, an agreement is considered to be 'imminent', with the hope being that Llorente can join Betis in time to start pre-season training on July 8.

Manager Manuel Pellegrini has given his approval of the deal and it looks likely that Llorente will be the latest Leeds man to join the Andalusian outfit. The 30-year-old would follow Marc Roca to Betis, of course, with the midfielder securing his return to the club on a permanent deal after spending last season there on loan.

While Roca was at Betis last season, Llorente was in his second loan spell with Roma. The Spaniard made 41 appearances in all competitions for the Serie A side, including 11 outings in the Europa League.

As such, the expectation was that the centre-back would be joining Roma permanently at the end of the season as he strives to find stability and security in his career. Reports of a 'gentleman's agreement' emerged, with the two clubs seemingly keen to do business and Llorente was said to be keen on a return to the Italian capital.

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However, the deal hasn't materialised with various reports in Italy suggesting Roma's interest may have cooled. That seems to have opened the door for Betis, who have been opportunistic in their approach as they bid to replace Chadi Riad, who has joined Crystal Palace for €15m and Sokratis Papastathopoulos, who has retired at the age of 36.

The club sees Llorente has a strong option to add to their backline and with another Europa Conference League campaign to prepare for, the club are keen to add strength in depth. Llorente hasn't played in La Liga since leaving Real Sociedad to join Leeds back in 2020, but he may well see a return to his homeland as an opportunity to catch the eye of Spain coach Luis de la Fuente and regain his spot in the national team, given he received his 10th and last cap back in June 2022.