Jaka Bijol signs for Leeds United — Leedsunited.com 23/6/25

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Defender becomes our second arrival of the summer window.

Leeds United are delighted to announce that Jaka Bijol has joined the club from Italian side Udinese for an undisclosed fee.

The towering central defender has put pen to paper on a five-year deal, committing his future at Elland Road until 2030.

The 26-year-old makes the move from the Serie A club after enjoying a stellar season in Italy, where he made 37 appearances across all competitions during the last campaign, scoring twice.

Beginning his career with Rudar Velenje in his homeland, Bijol joins the Whites with a wealth of experience from stints in Russia and Germany, before then linking up with Udinese in 2022.

Showing his versatility by originally plying his trade as a defensive midfielder, the Slovenian switched to what has become a familiar role in the heart of defence prior to joining Le Zebrette, with whom he made almost 100 appearances, taking his club total to over 250 matches.

Included within those, our new arrival has also played in both the Champions League and Europa League, bringing further top-level experience to Daniel Farke’s side.

As well as at club level, Jaka has impressed on the international stage throughout his career, earning 63 caps for Slovenia since making his debut aged 19 in 2018.

The defender played every minute for his country in their run to the Round of 16 at last summer’s European Championships, notably helping the side keep a clean sheet against England in the group stage.

With a number of clubs vying for his signature, we now welcome our second signing of the summer to West Yorkshire and we all now look forward to seeing Jaka play at Elland Road.

Speaking to LUTV after signing the contract, Bijol gave his thoughts.

He said: “This is a big day for me, for my family and I’m happy to be here.

“Maybe the biggest one of my career so far, but I'm ready for it,” Bijol then answered, responding to a question on the new challenges he will face next season.

“I work for it and that's why I'm here, because it's a big challenge for everyone. It's a big challenge for me, for the club, and we're getting ready for it together. I think the club and myself are ready for the Premier League.

“I can promise that I will give everything, that I will give everything in every training as well to be ready for the first game of the season and then just go from there.”

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