'Nothing off the table' — Graham Smyth reveals 'clever' sales Leeds United could complete this summer — YEP 16/5/25

By Joe Donnohue

YEP chief football writer Graham Smyth predicts Leeds United will still need a 'sale or two' this summer.

The transfer window opens next month with Leeds expected to recruit Premier League-standard players in their bid to preserve top flight status for longer than a single season.

None of the last six newly-promoted sides have achieved this, each succumbing to an immediate Championship return.

United's Profitability and Sustainability (PSR) headroom will be impacted by the two years the club has spent in the second tier with their maximum loss threshold for the three-year accounting period ending June 30, 2025 down from £82 million to £61 million. Considering the club reported a loss of roughly £60 million for the 2023/24 season alone, in addition to a £33.7 million loss the year prior, player sales this summer would improve the club's financial position.

That said, the Whites do expect to receive in excess of £100 million from their restored Premier League membership by way of bumper broadcast television deals, not to mention more lucrative commercial deals as one of England’s biggest and best-supported clubs, now back in the spotlight. Therefore, remaining in the division longer than a single season will go a long way to further improving the club's PSR position.

Speaking on the Inside Elland Road podcast, YEP chief football writer Graham Smyth gave his thoughts on Leeds' potential outgoing business this summer.

"It's funny. You go up with this squad and they're celebrating on the pitch at Plymouth, and they're absolute heroes for the city on the bus parade, and then almost instantly, people start thinking about what next.

"There's so many question marks over players who were key even this season, there are so many who you just couldn't rule out a sale [for], and there are so many different reasons for that, but one of the big things I think we need to keep in mind when looking at this summer is Leeds will probably still need a sale or two.

"Yes, you've gone up, but that doesn't necessarily mean that you've got the headroom to make the expenditure that you want, so you might need to do some clever wheeling and dealing, some clever accountancy. And when you look at the squad, the players who would give you the most headroom are actually some of those that you wouldn't naturally think: 'Yeah, we'll ship him on.' It's even players who you think would be good enough [in the Premier League].

"So there'll be some big decisions to make this summer for sure, and I almost wouldn't take anything off the table. What I kept coming back to was last summer, and how the 49ers were pretty ruthless when it came to the Glen Kamara thing. Weren't they? I don't think he put up a huge struggle to try and stay or anything like that. But he'd only been there a year. They saw a chance to turn a profit and to elevate the profile of the midfield, to augment the midfield profile with more attacking options, more assists, more goals. And I wouldn't rule out that kind of thinking being part of it this summer, because staying up is the absolute priority,” he said.

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