Leeds United could finally be set to quell a true problem area, solving a longstanding issue with a top signing…
Are Leeds signing Joaquin Piquerez?
According to Uruguayan outlet Torcedores, the Whites are in contact with Brazilian club Palmeiras over the signing of Joaquin Piquerez.
Although they seek to keep ahold of their star left-back, the pull of English football could prove too much for the Uruguay international, who will surely be keen to try his hand at the top level.
Football Transfers value the 24-year-old at just €6.4m (£6m), suggesting that a true coup could be earned by Daniel Farke should such a move come to fruition.
This news is prefaced by the expected exit of Junior Firpo, who has disappointed since moving to Yorkshire from Barcelona in 2021. His departure will likely not be met with heartfelt goodbyes from the Elland Road faithful.
Piquerez's acquisition would add to their first deal of the summer, as they brought in Ethan Ampadu from Chelsea.
Who is Joaquin Piquerez?
Firpo's replacement, however, seems to be billed as everything they were promised when Marcelo Bielsa first unloaded £12.8m to tempt him from the Nou Camp.
Dynamic, attack-minded and technically proficient, the explosive defender seems athletic enough to fit Farke's all-action philosophy, and progressive enough to hold down the modern-day role of a full-back for the foreseeable future.
After all, just last term saw him maintain a 6.91 average rating in Brasileiro Serie A, buoyed by his three assists and four clean sheets despite only featuring 11 times, via Sofascore.
In just one league campaign the young star is just one assist shy of levelling Firpo's creative tally across 51 games in Yorkshire.
His most recent season in a white shirt proved to be one of his most disastrous, as the 26-year-old maintained a 6.55 average Sofascore rating, failing in his duties both offensively and defensively.
His 40% dribble success rate suggests a lack of athleticism and attacking threat, whilst he was routinely bypassed, being dribbled past 1.2 times per game in the Premier League too, via Sofascore.
This came just a year after his 6.60 average rating in the league suggested he could get no worse.
Comparing this with Piquerez will have fans finally starting to dream of a brighter future at left-back, providing the attacking impetus promised. After all, South American football content creator Nathan Joyes did speak highly of the defender, noting: "He's a really attacking full-back," he began. "Really happy to push up, especially against teams who are weaker, basically plays like a left mid."
Given the dominance Farke's outfit are expected to exert over most of the Championship, this penchant for thriving for a dominant side should see him placed in the perfect atmosphere to get the best out of him.
What will likely only enamour fans more with their potential new acquisition is his links to Bielsa, who is now the coach of Piquerez's national team.
As his close bond with the Leeds faithful remains despite his sacking, should he mould the powerful star in his high-octane image, he could come to Elland Road readymade and ever-improving for a system that demands plenty of effort.
At last, it seems that the left-back issues that have plagued such a historic club for so long could be quelled, by a lesser-known Uruguayan ace playing in Brazil of all places.