After two requirements were met, Leeds United is allegedly becoming more confident that they may acquire Newcastle midfielder Sean Longstaff this summer.
However, a second transfer has already fallen through, giving Daniel Farke a lot of work to do this summer.
Since the beginning of the season, the Whites have been playing brilliantly. They have won 12 of their 13 Championship games, rising to the top of the standings and assisting Leicester in erasing a 17-point deficit. There are eight games left for Leeds United to guarantee their spot back in the Premier League, and the team’s spirits were better than ever heading into the March international break.
Even though they now control their own destiny, it is far from assured because the Foxes are level and have a game coming up, while Ipswich, who are only one point behind, have shown that they are tough opponents and are still very much in the running for promotion after winning seven of their previous eight games.
With what is expected to be a record number of points and the kind of performance that, in a “normal” season, would normally guarantee the title, let alone promotion, one of those three appears destined to miss out on promotion.
But in the background, the Whites are beginning to think about the summer window and what that might entail if they are, once again, a Premier League team. They haven’t made any public announcements, preferring to stick to the tried-and-true mantra of “taking it one game at a time.”
Leeds said that signing Newcastle’s star fulfills many requirements.
Leeds has already started the process of moving those wheels, as per rumors from earlier this week, by designating Newcastle midfielder Longstaff as a possible transfer option should they decide to book a return to the Premier League.
The 26-year-old midfield player’s contract at St. James’ Park is about to expire, and negotiations to extend it have not yet resulted in a mutually acceptable arrangement. Therefore, if the two parties are unable to agree on conditions, it is alleged that the player will be moved on.
As a result, it’s said that Newcastle would only want for £15 million for the indigenous talent, with Leeds being the team that wants to sign him.
It is now being reported that the deal will go through if Leeds are promoted back to the Premier League and if the Magpies are unable to come to an agreement with him on a new contract before the summer transfer window opens for business.
In an interview with Football League World, former Leeds midfielder Carlton Palmer expressed his support for the proposed transfer, saying the Whites would be acquiring a “very, very good player” if they were able to sign Longstaff.
“This would be a very excellent signing, as he just has one year remaining on his deal. Palmer stated that Leeds United will benefit from the 26-year-old’s acquisition. He has participated in 135 Premier League games.
According to reports, Newcastle would want a payment of about £15 million, which Leeds could afford.
Daniel Farke is acting in the exact way that a manager ought to be acting right now. This is what you have to do. Leeds has a very good possibility of moving up, so players are what you need to be considering. It’s difficult enough for Championship clubs to stay in the Premier League after they get promoted, so you don’t want to be doing business slowly; you want to get the players in.
Leeds’s Bundesliga contract falls through
“This would be a terrific signing for Leeds, a really strong signing for the football club,” Palmer said in closing. Reaching the Premier League is one thing, but remaining there is quite another.
Leeds, meanwhile, will have to make a lot of important choices this summer with their plethora of loan players that moved temporarily last summer.
After relegation, in fact, a total of thirteen players left Elland Road, many of them taking advantage of contract terms to go on loan.
Farke and director of football Nick Hammond will also need to make some important decisions regarding the composition of Leeds’ team for the 2024–2025 season, regardless of whatever level the team is in the following year.
Max Wober, who has been on loan at Borussia Monchengladbach for the current season, is one of those players who is now expected to return.
The Bundesliga team does not have the option to extend the contract for the left-sided defender, but it appears Leeds is ready to let him go for about €12 million, or £10.3 million.
But they’ve already decided that’s too much, and they’ve told the player he has to go back to his original club unless the Whites drop their demands.
Journalist Ben Jacobs, who anticipates the player returning to Leeds prior to the start of the new campaign, also appears to have corroborated that information.
Jacobs told Givemesport, “Leeds have a lot of incentive to focus on football and get back into the Premier League.” The plan will then become clearer.
In terms of Wober, the German team won’t be able to make that long-term offer because they don’t have the option for Monchengladbach to purchase, and if Leeds were to sell, they would want at least their money back—if not more.
It is therefore anticipated that he will return to Leeds, and that by the time he does, Leeds’s Premier League or Championship status will be established. By then, we will have a great deal more information.
With a major transfer decision to make, Farke left
His return is likely to give Leeds a bit of a headache, as there’s plenty of animosity among fans over the players who jumped ship after relegation.
Particularly bitter was Wober’s departure—the player had only joined from RB Salzburg in January and had at first declared his intention to stay.
But with Liam Cooper expected to move on at the end of his deal, there could well be an opening in the Leeds squad for Wober next season. He is a decent option to call upon because he can cover at left-back as well.
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