Leeds United look set to complete the signing of Portuguese teenage defender Diogo Monteiro from Swiss Super League side Servette, with the deal reportedly lined up to be finalised this week.
Earlier in the current transfer window, renowned Leeds reporter Phil Hay discussed the club’s eagerness to land the young defender’s signature, though stated that it was possible Leeds would hold off until the Monteiro turned 18 years of age in order to avoid complexities associated with transfers of under 18s players from youth academies.
It now appears that Hay was indeed correct, with Swiss publication Tribune de Geneve claiming that the move is likely to be confirmed on Saturday January 28th – when the player turns 18 years of age [via MOTLeedsNews].
You would imagine that, given the players age, he will be playing his football with the Leeds academy at Thorp Arch for the time being, before we can get any kind of real look at him in a first team context. He is part of the first team set up with Servette, impressively registering a handful of appearances for the Swiss side this season at the age of 17.
Monteiro has been capped by Portugal at an under 17 level, and will be hoping to make a name for himself in Leeds’ emerging talent programme.
This transfer window has seen Leo Hjelde head out on loan to Championship side Rotherham, as well as Cody Drameh reportedly set to complete a loan switch to Luton Town. Speculation continues to loom around defender Charlie Cresswell, and whether or not Leeds will let him leave on a permanent basis. With a lot of moving parts in the academy set up, its by no means impossible that Diogo Monteiro can come in and make some form of an impact in the youth team.
We’ll keep you posted around any transfer news at Elland Road, and make sure to keep an eye on our Twitter at @VitalLeeds for the latest developments.