According to the BBC, Championship Leeds United will make attempts to re-sign attacking midfielder Max Gradel from Ligue 1 side St Étienne this January.
The player’s time at the French side since 2011 has been marred with injury and has only been able to start two league games for Les Verts this season with a rupture to his cruciate ligament. However, those two starts came in St Etienne’s last two league games and the player is slowly coming back to into form.
The difficulty for Max Gradel at present is, when the St Etienne squad is fully fit, that he plays second-fiddle to arguably St Etienne’s talisman this season in Romain Hamouma who fills Gradel’s favoured position on the right wing.
While it is accepted that Gradel’s most successful stint so far in his career was during his time with Leeds United it is unclear if the player is willing to move back. Having only just found his feet in Ligue 1, arguably for the first time entirely since his move in 2011, he may prefer to stay put.
Having said this, St Etienne President Roland Romeyer will not hesitate to usher the squad player out of the door should a substantial offer come in from the Whites. Wages may however be an issue for the Championship side, with Gradel said to be unwilling to accept any serious decrease in those terms.
Get French Football News understands that there has been no contact between St Etienne and Leeds United representatives thus far. More undoubtedly to follow in January.
