Leeds United have stepped up their recruitment drive this summer, already strengthening Daniel Farke’s squad with the signings of Harry Wilson and Tarik Muharemovic.
A third arrival is expected to follow soon, with the Whites closing in on Manchester City goalkeeper James Trafford after reaching a verbal agreement over the transfer.
Leeds have agreed to pay a club-record £40m, plus a further £5m in add-ons, for the England international, who has already agreed personal terms ahead of his move to Elland Road.
The club’s pursuit of Wilson, Muharemovic and Trafford underlines the ambition being shown by the 49ers in the transfer market. However, despite that intent, Leeds now look set to miss out on one of their leading targets this summer.
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The 49ers and the Leeds recruitment team have shown since last summer that they could convince top players to move to Elland Road.
Leeds convinced Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Anton Stach to ignore offers from Champions League clubs to join the Whites last summer.
The Whites beat off competition from several clubs to sign Harry Wilson and Tarik Muharemovic this summer, and James Trafford is keen to join Leeds despite interest from Newcastle United.
However, they are not succeeding in convincing everyone, as a major free agent is set to ignore interest from Leeds to join a Champions League club.
According to Fabrizio Romano, John Stones has agreed terms on a two-year contract ahead of joining Inter Milan this summer.
The 32-year-old centre-back left Manchester City at the end of last season after a decade at the Etihad, and Leeds were interested in signing him.
However, Leeds were always up against the odds as the defender also attracted interest from Premier League champions Arsenal and Chelsea.
Stones has eventually decided to move to Italy and will soon undergo a medical at Inter ahead of joining the reigning Serie A champions.
John Stones would have been a luxury signing for Leeds
Leeds have already signed Muharemovic for a deal worth £34m, and signing Stones would have led to few complications in their squad.
The club could sign one more centre-back if Sebastiaan Bornauw leaves. However, the Belgian is nothing more than a squad player, and Stones would have only joined to be a starter.
Leeds already have several centre-backs in their squad, and signing another starting-eleven-quality centre-back would have needed another major defender sale.
And it also seems Stones is prepared to test himself away from the Premier League and continue to play in the Champions League at a top club.
