Diego Llorente is excited for the next chapter in his football career after swapping Leeds United for Real Betis. The Spanish international joined the La Liga side last night for an undisclosed fee, understood to be in excess 3m euros (£2.5m).
The 30-year-old centre-back left Elland Road, having played 59 times for the Whites. His final United outing came against Accrington Stanley in January 2023. He spent the rest of that season and the entire of the last campaign on loan with Serie A side Roma.
Speaking to the Spanish media, Llorente said: “I want to thank the president and Manu (Fajardo, sporting director) for the affection from the first minute and the interest they have shown in me. I was very clear that a destination like Betis, such a big club, was the best step to continue my career, to continue to grow as a player and help each other achieve great things. I am very happy on a personal and professional level. I am in the best possible place to continue my career. I hope to help Betis achieve all the goals that we Betis want.”
Fajardo said Llorente was their number one centre-back target. “We had no doubts with Diego. We were clear that he was our first option and our coach, Manuel Pellegrini, also let us know,” he said.
Llorente joins former United teammate Marc Roca at Betis. His exit is the 13th with first-team experience since the end of last season and leaves the Whites with Joe Rodon, Pascal Struijk and Ethan Ampadu on the books as their senior, recognised centre-back options.
