This summer, midfield strengthening has been Leeds United’s top transfer priority, as writer Fabrizio Romano exclusively revealed to GIVEMESPORT.
For the Championship team, this is a big window as they almost missed out on Premier League promotion the previous year. They advanced to the play-off final last season, where they were barely defeated by Southampton, despite being eighth in the rankings the previous season.
A few important players have already left, notably midfielders Glen Kamara and Archie Gray, according to manager Daniel Farke. The former paid over £30 million to join Premier League team Tottenham Hotspur, while the latter transferred last week for approximately £8.4 million to Ligue 1 club Stade Rennais.
The middle is where it all starts.
There have been well-known exits.
Journalist Romano has stated that midfield is now The Whites’ primary transfer priority this summer in light of those big outgoings. Together, Gray and Kamara played 6,841 minutes in 87 Championship games for the team during the previous season, including the play-offs.
But with Crysencio Summerville’s future uncertain due to rumored interest from Premier League teams West Ham and Liverpool, other departures could possibly happen. Given the importance of a possible sale, Romano feels Leeds must decide on the winger before they can aggressively pursue other players.
Leeds’s Low Bid Was “Rejected”
The midfield player’s contract will soon enter its final year.
Dejan Ljubicic of FC Koln is one man Leeds could look to boost their midfield depth. The 26-year-old Austrian international’s contract with the German team, which was relegated from the Bundesliga the previous season, is due to expire.
BILD claims that Koln has rejected Leeds’ £3.4 million offer for the midfield player. The report doesn’t say what kind of money would be sufficient to entice Koln back to the table, but time is running out for the German team because Ljubicic is nearing the end of his contract.
Ljubicic came to Koln from his native Austria in July 2021 after rising through Rapid Vienna’s youth ranks. Before leaving the 32-time Austrian champions three years ago, he made 131 appearances and scored eight goals.
He has made 92 appearances overall since joining Koln, tallying 11 goals in all competitions. The now 26-year-old earned his senior debut for Austria in 2021 at the age of 24, and he currently has nine caps and one goal to his name on the international scene.