Genoa have triggered a clause to sign Koni De Winter on a permanent deal from fellow Italian side Juventus, according to Fabrizio Romano.
A fee of €8 million was agreed between the two teams when the initial loan deal was struck – and this permanent clause was set to be triggered based on the number of appearances he made.
This put the Italian outfit in the driving seat to get a deal over the line for him, even if other teams ended up taking an interest in the Belgian.
The 21-year-old has been an important player for Genoa this season, winning plenty of game time – and he looks set to be a real asset for them in the longer term.
Previous interest in Koni De Winter from Leeds United, Leicester City and other English clubs
Top-flight clubs Wolverhampton Wanderers and West Ham United had been linked with a move for him, as well as Championship promotion competitors Leeds United and Leicester City.
Whether Leicester would have remained in the race remains to be seen, because they have recently been charged with an alleged breach of financial rules.
Losing £89.7 million last season, they may be under pressure to sell players during the early stages of the summer to give themselves the best chance of avoiding further charges, especially if they remain in the second tier beyond the end of this campaign.
This could have put other English sides ahead of the Foxes in the race for De Winter, although Leeds may have been at a disadvantage with the Whites uncertain about whether they will be promoted at the end of the season or not.
As well as this, they have £190m in fees that they need to pay other clubs, something that could potentially limit the amount they are able to spend in the future, regardless of which division they are in.
Wolves and West Ham, meanwhile, are guaranteed to remain in the top tier and already know which division they are going to be competing in next term.
However, that is futile for them in their quest to sign De Winter, with the Belgium international joining his current loan team on a permanent basis.
Leeds United and Leicester City may not be too worried about this Koni De Winter development
It may be a small blow for their recruitment teams if the pair did have an interest in De Winter.
However, both teams have shorter-term, on-field issues that they need to be more worried about at this stage.
A lot has been said about Leicester and the need for them to secure promotion at the end of this term, but it could also be vitally important for Leeds who will be keen to retain their best players and spend the longer term competing at the top level again.
Losing the likes of Archie Gray and Crysencio Summerville would be painful for them, so promotion is a must.
The Whites could have richly benefitted from signing De Winter, who can play as a centre-back or a full-back, because they need to address both areas.
But there are plenty more fish in the sea for the likes of the Whites and Leicester – and there may be some gems in the free agent market that they may be able to recruit in the summer if they are quick and can sell these unattached players a convincing project.
