According to Italian media outlet Tutto Mercato, Giuseppe Bellusci is attracting interest from Italian Serie A sides Atalanta and Bologna.
My immediate reaction was to wonder whether these people are mad, but apparently Bellusci is highly thought of in Italy, and we may well receive a definite offer from at least one of these clubs before the transfer window closes at the start of this week.
The defender certainly divides opinion among the Leeds support, and I certainly thought he was a complete liability for most of last season, with his two red cards and numerous other errors at crucial times. I thought Liam Cooper was a far more dependable option at the back, though Bellusci has had his moments going forward, most notably with his superb free kick that sealed our win at Bournemouth.
And I’ll have to admit that he has looked a bit more solid this season. At Doncaster we had that rarity of a Leeds defeat when all the crucial individual errors were made by other players, and you would have to say that Bellusci was largely blameless. But he still makes me nervous every time he plays, as his constant fouling whenever a forward get the better of him is always likely to concede free kicks in crucial positions.
He made 30 appearances last season, but this time around it’s a job to say whether Rosler considers him first choice or not, with the constant changing of the team we’ve seen during a busy couple of weeks. His present contract runs until 2018, but if a decent offer comes in, our owner and head coach might decide to take the cash and use it for team strengthening elsewhere.
Earlier in the summer Cellino declare he would not sell the centre-back for anything less than a million pounds (?!) but might have to reduce this figure a little if he really wants anyone to take Bellusci off our hands.
Leeds have been linked with Leicester defender Liam Moore, who may be an option if Bellusci does leave, but so far Moore has only said he would move from Leicester on a loan deal.