Leeds United have not always had the best of success in the transfer market over the years as they have brought in big-money flops and missed out on targets who have gone to achieve greatness.
The Whites relieved sporting director Victor Orta of his duties in May of this year after his work contributed to the club being relegated from the Premier League last season.
His transfer dealings and managerial appointments were not able to achieve the goal of staying in the top-flight and the Yorkshire-based side will be hoping for greater success in the future if they are able to return to the top table under Daniel Farke.
The likes of Brenden Aaronson, Dan James, and Rodrigo were all signed for significant fees at Premier League level for Leeds and failed to be consistent performers throughout their time on that stage.
However, the attention should also turn to the players Orta attempted to sign and was unable to get over the line as one talented gem who could have ended up at Elland Road was Josko Gvardiol.
How close Leeds came to signing Josko Gvardiol
Croatian outlet 24Sata claimed in 2020 that Leeds had an offer of €22m (£19m) accepted to sign the central defender from Dinamo Zagreb in September 2020.
The report claimed that then-manager Marcelo Bielsa viewed him as a dominant enforcer who could hit the ground running and impress at Premier League level, despite being 18 at the time.
They had already had an offer of €21m (£18m) accepted by Dinamo but the club decided to up their offer to €22m and included a 20% sell-on clause in order to improve their chances of securing his services ahead of RB Leipzig.
josko gvardiol
It was added that the Whites did not expect Gvardiol to be at Elland Road for much longer than one season as they believed that he would quickly be sold on for a significant profit to the likes of Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea, or Liverpool.
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