Fabrizio Romano confirms 'verbal agreement' for dream first January signing with Chelsea flop to join

Leeds United are close to completing the loan signing of Facundo Buonanotte from Brighton, with his loan move to Chelsea immediately being ‘interrupted’ and with a big promise from the Whites helped to convince the star, whose likely squad number at Elland Road has also emerged.

The Whites were left desperately disappointed in the final days of the summer window when Daniel Farke, who had methodically signed a tall and athletic new-look Leeds side, missed out on the cherry on the cake in Buonanotte. And despite extensive talks with his representatives over a season’s loan from Brighton, the Argentina playmaker surprisingly took the option to join Chelsea instead.

Despite admitting he had been swayed to move to Stamford Bridge by the lure of Champions League football, Buonanotte must have been left cursing his luck when, just days later, he was left out of Enzo Maresca’s initial 25-man squad for the competition.

He did later earn a reprieve after an injury to Liam Delap, featuring in matches against Benfica, Qarabag and Ajax.

But after just eight appearances in a Chelsea shirt, totalling just 519 minutes, the Blues have agreed to terminate his loan from the Seagulls, with Fabrizio Romano confirming the 21-year-old is now set to move to Elland Road instead.

Posting on X at 11.45am on Thursday, January 15, Romano revealed: ‘EXCLUSIVE: Leeds United reach verbal agreement to sign Facundo Buonanotte!

‘Chelsea to interrupt loan move from Brighton, leaving CFC to return to BHAFC and then join Leeds. Move to LUFC will be on loan until the end of the season. Here we go, soon.’

Ultimately, it was that lack of football that has persuaded both the Blues and Brighton to cancel the deal, with sources confirming the south-coast club had cancelled Leeds to see if there was still an interest in bringing the player to West Yorkshire.

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How Leeds swayed Buonanotte to sign as likely shirt number emerges

The attacking midfielder, who has two senior caps for Argentina, can operate either as a No.10 or off either wing, fulfilling Farke’s long-standing wish to add more creativity to his ranks, missing at Elland Road really since the exit of the iconic Pablo Hernandez back in 2021.

And while rejuvenated USA international Brenden Aaronson has been the chief beneficiary of that initial Leeds transfer miss – the American hitting a rich vein of form in recent weeks – the addition of Buonanotte will give the Whites another string to their bow.

Indeed, it is the promise of more regular football which has persuaded both Buonanotte and Brighton to accept Leeds’ offer, with the 21-year-old’s game-time certain to climb off the back of the move to West Yorkshire.

The player will be eager, too, to make up for lost time after seeing his career stall over the last four and a half months at Stamford Bridge.

Sources close to Leeds, as revealed by the Yorkshire Evening Post, claim Buonanotte was pushing to leave Chelsea and join Leeds for the second half of the season, which gave them confidence they could get it done at the second attempt.

Farke was remaining tight-lipped on the speculation when questioned about it on Thursday lunchtime, but did admit his side were open to the right kind of signing if they became available.

“No because speculations and rumours I never speak about this for outgoings and incomings,” he said. “I can tell you our thoughts and we’re looking if there’s a possibility to strengthen in January but you can just speak about things when it’s all official and signed. I can’t confirm anything apart from what we messaged yesterday, the loan of Harry Gray.

“We spoke quite open and honest in the summer about what we wanted to do and we wanted to do a bit more in the offence, creative number 10, winger position. In the last days we missed out on this. I’ve said several times we’ve developed really well as a group and we’re on a good path at Premier League level to achieve our goals. We have a good capable group. We’ll just do something if we think the player improves our squad and is a top character. We won’t risk anything to risk our togetherness.”

On the January window in general, he added: “The January market is always difficult, there are limited options, players are a bit overpriced or unavailable,” he said.

“If we find a player we think character wise and from his quality he can help our group we’re open to do this. There are no major injuries that we have to do something in a special position. Not too much has changed in comparison to the summer.”

On signing players with the right profile, he continued: “There is no need to be afraid of quality players.

“Each and every player who has top quality and top character who could help us is important. We are a bit thin in terms of creative offensive players, this winger number 10 position we spoke about for a while. We have changed the set-up a bit but I would label it as a rumour that we’ve only played as a 3-5-2 recently, we’ve more often played 4-3-3.

“You need players who can make things happen, with a creative pass, who can bring end products. We’ve played with more naturally defensive players there – Anton Stach has played the role excellently away at Newcastle but if you find a specialist that we don’t have, to bring to the squad it’s beneficial. It’s not like a new signing is guaranteed a starting place straight away. It would just be good for the competition.”

Leeds United currently have 18 shirt options open for Buonanotte to choose from, with the player – expected to sign on the dotted line before the end of the weekend if all goes to plan – able to pick from the following numbers: 12, 13, 17, 20, 24, 27, 28, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 39, 39 and 40.

However, with the player having adorned the No.40 shirt throughout his short career to date, it would come as a surprise were he to not choose that at Leeds.

Leeds offered £60m-rated Prem striker; big-name Chelsea star tipped to leave

Meanwhile, TEAMtalk sources can confirm the Whites are one of the clubs that have been offered the chance to a £60m-rated Wolves striker by intermediaries, though a move to bring him to Elland Road is far from straightforward.

In other news, the Whites continue to be described by sources as ‘frontrunners’ for the signing of a quality Dutch defender, with their chief rivals from the Bundesliga now targeting a former Leeds star instead.

Such a move would seriously benefit Leeds, too, with the West Yorkshire side due to earn a 15% cut of any transfer.

Elsewhere, Leeds United are confirmed admirers of a 19-year-old winger they now they have the perfect chance to sign, with the player’s Chelsea career set to come to an end this month.

Down at Chelsea, new boss Liam Rosenior is reportedly facing his first major test at Stamford Bridge, with an elite star weighing up his future at the club after becoming ‘unsettled’ at how Maresca was treated by the hierarchy.

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