Former Leeds United striker Mark Viduka has revealed that he had the chance to join AC Milan during his time at Elland Road.
What did he say?
Viduka scored 68 goals in 159 appearances for Leeds over a four-year spell at the club after joining from Celtic in the summer of 2000.
His goals helped Leeds to a fourth place finish in 2001 and fifth place finish in 2002, while he also played a key role in their run to the Champions League semi-finals/
The Australian international’s form did not go unnoticed and the forward recently revealed that Leeds rejected a £38m bid from AC Milan for his services.
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“I had the chance to join AC Milan at the end of the 2001 season, after we made the Champions League semifinal,” Viduka told ESPN.
“[Leeds United] were negotiating with Milan and wanted £38 million. I was friends with [Milan star] Zvonimir Boban at the time, and we were negotiating terms through him. In the end, [Milan] offered the £38 million, and Leeds didn’t want to sell. And that was that.
“I was a huge AC Milan fan. As a kid, I grew up watching [Marco] van Basten, [Frank] Rijkaard and [Ruud] Gullit … They were my favourite team. It just wasn’t to be.”
Staying put
Viduka stayed at Leeds for a further three seasons after his Milan move failed to pan out and only left the Yorkshire club after they were relegated in 2004.
From there he joined Middlesbrough, where he continued to prove himself as a talented goalscorer at Premier League level with 41 goals in 98 games for them.
Given how prolific the Aussie was at almost all of the clubs he played at, it is unfortunate that he never joined another club of Leeds’ calibre or bigger, with the forward also holding talks with Manchester United at one stage.
Viduka is now based in Croatia, just outside of Zagreb, where he owns a cafe with his wife.
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