Leeds United transfer state of play as Whites knock back low bid and assert wing pair stance — YEP 3/7/24

By Graham Smyth

Leeds United are not actively looking to cash in on Crysencio Summerville and Willy Gnonto and believe any further outgoing transfer business will be done on their terms.

The Whites, who sold Archie Gray to Tottenham Hotspur on Tuesday for £40m, expect that there will be continued interest in wing pair Summerville and Gnonto as the summer transfer window progresses. Summerville has been a target for Premier League side Brighton and Hove Albion but their interest has not yet materialised into a bid. The Albion did, however, send a £30m proposal for Georginio Rutter, which Elland Road chiefs rejected. Rutter is not expected to try and force an exit this summer and appears settled at Leeds after a far more positive second season in English football.

The sale of Gray has helped put Leeds into a position where they do not need to sell star players and can dictate any moves that do happen. Club sources say they are not actively looking to sell the likes of Summerville or Gnonto but still cannot definitively rule anything out. If an offer comes in and a player wants to go then the situation will be looked at but Leeds consider their negotiating position to be a strong one. It is not yet known if Summerville considers this summer his time to return to the English top flight or a top European league, having proven himself too good for the majority of Championship defenders last term. Leeds’ resolve will undoubtedly be tested, though and the same is likely to be true with Gnonto.

There has also been interest in Glen Kamara and Diego Llorente in the past couple of days. As reported first in France last week, Rennes are keen on Kamara, having tried to land the midfielder when his time at Glasgow Rangers was coming to an end last summer. Leeds say Kamara is someone they want to keep and at present there is no plan to sell the 28-year-old. The Whites already need to replace one midfielder in Gray this summer and losing another number eight would not be an ideal scenario for Daniel Farke.

Most of Farke’s squad returned to Thorp Arch for the first day of pre-season testing yesterday, including internationals who reported back earlier than first expected. Daniel James was among those who wanted to get back into the swing of things, despite his involvement with Wales, and Junior Firpo also reported in following World Cup Qualifying action with Dominican Republic.

One player who has not yet been involved in pre-season is Diego Llorente. The defender has been the subject of transfer interest from Real Betis, who have already bought Marc Roca from Leeds this summer, but the YEP understands that when the offer for Llorente came it was lower than what had been discussed and did not meet the Whites’ valuation. Llorente spent last season out on loan with Roma in Serie A and is not thought to favour a return to Elland Road to play in the Championship. There remains a good chance that he ends up going elsewhere on a permanent deal in the window.

Beyond that situation Leeds are yet to come to final decisions on the immediate futures of Euro 2024 pair Max Wober and Rasmus Kristensen. Wober and Austria were eliminated by Türkiye on Tuesday night, while Kristensen’s tournament ended with Denmark’s Round of 16 defeat by hosts Germany. Wober has told the media that there has been ‘radio silence’ between him and Leeds after a season spent in the Bundesliga with Borussia Mönchengladbach and he would like to enjoy a break after the Euros before kicking off his 2024 pre-season.

Leeds are not anticipating huge amounts of movement either in or out when it comes to Farke’s squad, with the manager said to be more content with the spine of the team than when he arrived at Elland Road a year ago. A £10m deal was concluded to bring Joe Rodon back to the club from Tottenham Hotspur on Tuesday and though Leeds are known to have been looking extensively at wing options in preparation for the window, that business will largely be dictated by what happens with Summerville and Gnonto. The right-back position is in need of strengthening, a replacement for Gray is required and Leeds could also look at bolstering Farke’s options in the number 10 role.