Leeds owner Andrea Radrizzani was left red faced after wrongly confirming that Marseille forward Bamba Dieng would be joining the club on transfer deadline day.
Senegalese striker Dieng seemed poised to join Leeds on the last day of the transfer window, and owner Radrizzani appeared to confirm the news when replying to a fan on Twitter.
He was left eating his words, however, when the deal collapsed later in the day.
Dieng not going to Leeds, to the surprise of club's owner
Marseille forward Bamba Dieng was in high demand on transfer deadline day, with West Ham linked with him before Leeds seemed to take the lead in the race for Dieng.
Leeds fans had spent the last few days hoping they could swoop in under the noses of Manchester United and sign highly rated Cody Gakpo from PSV, but some were left disappointed by the supposed shift to signing Dieng.
One fan expressed his frustration on Twitter, and was surprisingly met with a reply from the club's owner, who not only "confirmed" that Dieng would be moving to Elland Road, but suggested that Gakpo would be joining him.
Agreed. Let s welcome Bamba Dieng and we will continue to work on Gapko. Now it s time to focus on the pitch and support our new project and the great job Jesse and the staff are doing 💪💛💙
— Andrea Radrizzani (@andrearadri) September 1, 2022
It was a bold move - and a new one - for a club owner to take to social media on transfer deadline day, let alone directly interact with fans and speak out on transfer dealings.
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Radrizzani was left humbled, however, when the deal to sign Dieng appeared to fall apart late in the day and that, instead of Leeds, Dieng would be heading to the French Riviera with Nice instead. The circumstances surrounding the deal's breakdown were extraordinary, with Dieng seemingly changing his mind after arriving at the airport to head to Leeds, according to transfer window expert Fabrizio Romano.
Crazy story of the day. Bamba Dieng is at the airport right now (!) with his agent negotiating with OGC Nice and Leeds now furious after reaching an agreement with OM and player earlier today. 🚨⚪️ #DeadlineDay
…up to the player, or to club’s decision. pic.twitter.com/sfu6jd0iRO— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) September 1, 2022
Leeds have decided tovleave the negotiations for Bamba Dieng. Now deal is OFF — Dieng goes to OGC Nice! ⚪️🛩 #DeadlineDay
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) September 1, 2022
That was not the final twist in the tale, however.
In perhaps the funniest twist of the entire saga, Dieng would reportedly go on to sensationally fail his medical at Nice, leaving him stuck at Marseille until at least the January transfer window.
Bamba Dieng ne sera pas Niçois. Le Marseillais de 22 ans n'a pas donné satisfaction aux dirigeants niçois lors de la visite médicale. Info @Nice_Matin
— William Humberset (@WHumberset) September 1, 2022
To make matters worse for Radrizzani and Leeds, it seems as though Gakpo will not be leaving PSV in this transfer window.
The Leeds owner was left embarrassed by the affairs with Dieng, but could see the funny side in responding to the same fan later in the evening.
It s all good Ollie :-) . Part of the madness of deadline day. We have been screwed up , it happens even to the best ones. We have done a great market, planned and executed our targets at very early stage. Keep going 💪
— Andrea Radrizzani (@andrearadri) September 1, 2022
Leeds have brought in Brenden Aaronson and Tyler Adams, alongside six other players, in this transfer window, and were recently linked with Ireland defender John Egan.
Bamba Dieng, however, is one player who will most certainly not be heading to Leeds this summer.
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