Leeds United have made three new signings so far this summer, but with pre-season beginning last week, Daniel Farke will be keen for things to accelerate as the season opener against Portsmouth looms ever closer.
Changes are already well underway in terms of the playing squad, with further players expected to join Archie Gray out of the exit door, whilst there are those players who left Leeds due to loan clauses in their contracts, who will need to have their futures at Elland Road resolved as quickly as possible, in order for the club to then focus on further incomings for Farke.
The Daily Mail has reported that the Whites may have to generate around £100 million in player sales following their failure to secure promotion back to the Premier League at the first time of asking. That’s despite Red Bull’s lucrative sponsorship deal with the club.
Young stars such as Crysencio Summerville, Willy Gnonto, Georginio Rutter, and Gray are therefore likely to be sold to help balance the books before the club can make significant investments of their own in the form of incoming players on top of the likes of Joe Rodon, Alex Cairns, and Joe Rothwell to further strengthen the squad.
Leeds have also released the likes of Luke Ayling, Lewis Bate, Robin Koch, Jamie Shackleton, and Ian Poveda. They have sold Gray, Luis Sinisterra, Marc Roca, Kristoffer Klaesson, Charlie Cresswell, Diego Llorente, and Glen Kamara. Whilst Jack Harrison, Darko Gyabi, Sonny Perkins, and Sam Greenwood have sealed loan exits.
Here, we take a look at one further outgoing, and another incoming that they will hope to seal before the Championship’s 2024/25 campaign gets underway.
Out: Crysencio Summerville expected to leave
Summerville’s exit has always felt like a near-certainty and a question of when and not if. The Dutchman has plenty of resale value for PSR purposes and enjoyed a terrific season in winning the Championship Player of the Year award aged just 22. That sort of form at that age is sure to pique the interest of clubs across Europe’s top-flight leagues.
It guarantees him a move, given that he is likely to develop even further over the coming years. He has been linked to a host of Premier League sides, including the likes of Newcastle United, as well as Aston Villa and Chelsea that have been credited with an interest in the forward recently.
He is a match-winner and one of the biggest difference-makers in the final third in the league, which will see him move on eventually. Despite The Yorkshire Evening Post detailing that Leeds do not feel the need to sell the likes of Summerville or Willy Gnonto, it feels like an inevitability that Summerville leaves, especially with just two years left on his current deal.
The Whites will want to be aggressive in the market themselves at some stage, so freeing up further funds with other sales will help to unlock the doors Leeds need to make other big-money moves of their own on top of Rodon. Cairns and Rothwell have been signed for nominal fees or on loan.
In: Carl Rushworth could replace Illan Meslier
Continuity is the key to promotion in many areas, especially for the players that took Leeds to the cusp of promotion in 2024. Despite that, Leeds could also find themselves selling Illan Meslier this summer, which would mean that they are in the market for a goalkeeper and a good option for Farke’s side is Swansea City’s recent Brighton loanee, Carl Rushworth.
| Illan Meslier’s club career stats – per Transfermarkt | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Club | Appearances | Goals conceded | Clean sheets |
| Leeds United | 175 | 256 | 51 |
| Lorient | 30 | 32 | 11 |
Meslier’s sale is not guaranteed, but could be a sensible decision as it would also represent a big financial win for PSR this summer. Rushworth, meanwhile, could be an upgrade on the Frenchman in reliability and consistency terms after a fantastic season in South Wales.
The goalkeeper won the Swans’ Player of the Season award, and he has also starred during previous loan spells with both Walsall and Lincoln City in the EFL, and is now perhaps hoping for a move higher up the league or to the Premier League.
Not only that, but he was born and raised in nearby Halifax, so the familiarity of West Yorkshire could help him to settle in quicker. Leeds could sign him from whatever is raised by Meslier’s sale, or even on a loan deal from Brighton.
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