According to the Daily Mail, Leeds United have seen a move for Middlesbrough striker Rudy Gestede turned down by their erstwhile manager Garry Monk.
The new Boro boss isn’t keen on letting his man go, and Leeds will have to look elsewhere in their search for Chris Wood’s replacement.
The New Zealand international joined Burnley for a club-record £15 million on Monday, leaving the Elland Road outfit in a precarious situation as it earlier appeared he was going to commit his immediate future to the club.
The Championship golden boot winner was very close to helping Leeds to a playoff spot last term, and his shoes are way too big for Gestede to fit into.
Middlesbrough’s refusal to grant the Whites an audience on the £6million-rated French-born Benin international could end up being a blessing in disguise, though.
Since arriving from Aston Villa in January to help Boro survive their Premier League relegation battle, Gestede has only scored thrice, with each goal costing around £265,000 as he earns £25,000 per week.
While there is the possibility that the 28-year-old can still regain the once-blazing form in front of goal that made him bag 32 strikes in 60 league games for Blackburn Rovers, his most recent return in the last 2 seasons – 12 league goals – could be pointing at the fact that he’s well past his best days.
A quality striker in top form capable of firing them to the topflight is what they badly need at the moment. Not Gestede.
