Leeds United have several decisions to make over the course of the next few weeks as they look to build on a 14th-place finish in the Premier League last season.
The Yorkshire giants do not need a squad overhaul like last summer, when they had to improve a squad that finished top of the Championship to earn promotion to the top flight.
Leeds believe that they already have a good base ahead of the 2026/27 season, and they are looking to bring in upgrades for a few areas of their squad who will be real ‘difference-makers’.
The club have already been linked with a record move to sign Sporting Lisbon defender Ousmane Diomande, who is believed to have agreed personal terms with Leeds.
However, the World Cup has provided fresh evidence that should prompt the 49ers to reassess whether this is a transfer worth pursuing.
Ousmane Diomande was an unused substitute for the Ivory Coast
Leeds have been heavily linked with a move for Ousmane Diomande, who is expected to leave Sporting Lisbon in the upcoming transfer window.
The Whites have held talks with his representatives over a deal, and the centre-back has given his verbal agreement to a potential deal.
It would be an expensive deal, and Leeds would have to fork out a fee that should end up smashing the club’s transfer-record deal for Georginio Rutter in 2023.
The 22-year-old has a growing reputation in European football and is expected to join a club in one of Europe’s top leagues in the upcoming window.
However, the centre-back remained an unused substitute in the Ivory Coast’s dramatic 1-0 win over Ecuador on Monday night.
He is clearly down in the pecking order of centre-backs in the Ivory Coast squad and is not a certainty in the national team.
Leeds should not hurry this deal
With the Ivory Coast and Diomande in the World Cup, any deal will have to wait until the African team are in North America this summer.
Just because Diomande remained an unused substitute against Ecuador does not make him a bad player. Gabriel Gudmundsson is the only Leeds player among the four to feature in a World Cup game this summer.
However, Leeds are aware of Ao Tanaka, Brenden Aaronson and Noah Okafor’s qualities, while Diomande is still a young defender who has yet to prove himself at the top level.
He could still play a key role in the Ivory Coast’s World Cup campaign later in the tournament and could emerge as a young defender to watch out for.
However, the evidence is not there yet, and Leeds may want to wait before going full steam on a deal to sign the centre-back for a club-record fee this summer.
