Leeds United dealt major setback on £25m-rated machine, Victor Orta will be fuming - opinion

Leeds United have been dealt a major setback in their bid to bring Oscar Mingueza to Elland Road in the summer transfer window.

That’s according to a report by Spanish publication Mundo Deportivo (via Sport Witness), who claim that, despite Barcelona being keen to include a player in their negotiations to sign Raphinha at the end of the current campaign, Oscar Mingueza – who Victor Orta has been reported to be keen on and has been proposed to the Whites – is not interested in a move to the Premier League side.

Considering Leeds’ rather desperate need for improvement upon their current options in the heart of defence this summer, in addition to Mingueza’s impressive form for Barca over the past two years, the news that the 22-year-old is not willing to consider a move to England is sure to have left Orta fuming.

Indeed, over his 27 LaLiga appearances last season, the £25m-rated centre-back highly impressed, helping his side keep seven clean sheets, scoring two goals and registering two assists, as well as making an average of 0.7 interceptions, 1.9 tackles, 1.6 clearances and 54.9 passes and winning 3.3 duels per game.

These metrics saw the £19k-per-week defender average an impressive SofaScore match rating of 6.96, ranking him as Barcelona’s 11th-best player in the Spanish top flight last term.

And, when considering the fact that Jesse Marsch’s side have shipped a league-high 68 goals over their 31 Premier League fixtures this season, it is clear for all to see that the American’s backline is an area of his squad which is in dire need of reinforcements this summer.

As such, the news that Mingueza is not tempted by the prospect of a switch to Elland Road is sure to have come as a gutting blow to Orta, who will now be