La Liga side Athletic Bilbao look set to beat Leeds United in the race to sign Deportivo Alaves winger Ibai Gomez, according to reports from Spanish news outlet AS via Sport Witness.

The Whites have been linked with a move to land the 29-year old winger for a couple of months, as Marcelo Bielsa looks to reunite with the Spaniard who played an integral role in Bilbao’s Europa League campaign under the Argentinian in 2012.

The winger has been in impressive form for Alaves this term - helping the Spanish side to an impressive 5th position in the La Liga table, after scoring three times and producing two assists.

Leicester City were a team also linked with Gomez, but with his contract expiring at the end of  the current campaign, reports have now surfaced that Bilbao are confident of re-signing the 29-year old for a reporter fee of around €4million - with a new president and technical team in place at the Spanish outfit.

Leeds are looking for another playmaker after the shock departure of Samu Saiz to Getafe - Marcelo Bielsa’s men currently sit at top of the Sky Bet Championship ahead of a home clash with Hull City on Saturday afternoon.

The Verdict

This is a huge blow for Leeds United - Gomez would have been a perfect addition for Leeds. Bielsa knows him inside out and would have definitely got the best out of him.

He has a huge amount of experience under his belt and they will regret letting him move to Bilbao.

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