Leeds to complete £35m Rodrigo transfer as Valencia confirm club record fee has been agreed
LEEDS are smashing their club record transfer to land £35million Spain striker Rodrigo - despite interest from Arsenal and Barcelona.
The Valencia star is due to have a medical on Wednesday after Leeds director of football Victor Orta and owner Andrea Radrizzani flew to Spain to persuade the 29-year-old to join.
Rodrigo has agreed a second stab at the Premier League after scoring just once for Bolton in the top flight during his miserable 2010-11 loan season.
And the ex-Benfica ace's arrival at Leeds will eclipse the £18m they paid West Ham for England defender Rio Ferdinand in 2000, although £9m of the Rodrigo deal is in add-ons.
The Prem newcomers' boss Marcelo Bielsa still hopes to sign Freiburg's twice-capped Germany centre-back Robin Koch, 24, who is reportedly also a £20m target for Tottenham.
But having monitored legends Edinson Cavani and Zlatan Ibrahimovic after winning the Championship, Bielsa will be relieved as well as delighted to finally secure a proven frontman.
Brazil-born Rodrigo has netted eight times in 22 internationals.
And for Valencia he bagged 19 goals in 2017-2018 and 15 the following term, before seven last season, when he missed the closing weeks due to a knee injury.
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He is equally at home as a traditional No9 or as a winger.
The LaLiga club are reluctant sellers after making their whole squad available once the financial costs of the coronavirus pandemic hit home.
Spain winger Ferran Torres joined Manchester City, while midfielders Dani Parejo and Francis Coquelin, formerly of Arsenal, moved to league rivals Villarreal.