An update has emerged on Leeds target Maxwel Cornet, regarding Burnley’s interest in his services.
What’s the talk?
According to The Sun, Burnley are in talks with Lyon over a potential deal to sign Leeds target Maxwel Cornet this summer. The report claims that the Clarets are prepared to spend £13m on the Ivorian, with Bundesliga side Hertha Berlin also keen.
Leeds are said to have held an interest in Cornet and are now pursuing other targets. Marcelo Bielsa’s side returning to the race is said to be unlikely but not impossible.
Fans will be gutted
Bielsa is facing a disaster with this decision and it will leave fans gutted if Burnley are now able to swoop in for Cornet in the coming weeks. It is not clear whether or not Bielsa had the final say on Cornet, but the Leeds coach should be pushing for a deal to be completed as he could be an excellent addition to the squad ahead of the 2021/22 Premier League campaign.
He ticks a number of boxes for what Leeds should be looking for in a signing; quality, young, experienced, versatile and hard-working. He has proven his quality in Ligue 1 for Lyon over the course of a number of years since coming through in the 2015/16 campaign. Cornet has averaged a career WhoScored rating of 6.70 across over 200 appearances for club and country, showing his experience and ability to remain consistent over a long period of time.
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola once lauded Cornet as one of the many promising talents in the French game, as he was quick to point out that teams outside of PSG have quality players in their ranks.
He said:
“We only talk about PSG but there are many good French teams, I was very impressed by the talent of Maxwel Cornet. There are many talents in France, I like to play the Champions League because there is a very high quality everywhere, players, coaches.”
At the age of 24, Cornet also has the potential to improve and grow as a player. He has shown his versatility for Lyon, by playing across midfield and in defence, and he could be a player Bielsa is able to coach into becoming a top player in several positions for Leeds, which would make him a huge asset for the club.
His defensive stats also suggest that he would suit Bielsa’s high-press, hard-working, style of play. Cornet made 3.1 tackles and interceptions per game for Lyon last season, showing that he puts the graft in defensively to win the ball back for his side.
Bielsa and Leeds are facing a disaster by allowing Burnley to snap him up for £13m, as he has the attributes, experience and quality to make an impact at Elland Road.
Fans will have every right to be gutted if one of the club’s rivals in the Premier League manage to sign such a quality player ahead of Leeds, without the Yorkshire-based club even putting up much of a fight.
AND in other news, Orta must seal Leeds swoop for 17-goal “phenomenon”, he’s a big upgrade on Harrison…