Leeds United are looking to bring in as much money as possible from the final two days of the transfer window to ensure they have the funds to sign the attacking players that Daniel Farke wants before the window closes on Monday evening.
The Whites have already done a lot of work to clear out the squad of players who were never part of Farke’s plans for the Premier League, but more work is needed to ensure they bring in some more funds through a couple more moves in the final days of the transfer window.
Leeds loaned out Isaac Schmidt, Largie Ramazani and Mateo Joseph, but these moves have not earned money that could make a difference in a couple of incoming transfers before the deadline.
The Whites paid off Patrick Bamford to let him leave on a free transfer, and are awaiting offers for midfielder Darko Gyabi, who has attracted interest from as many as five clubs ahead of the end of the transfer window.
Can you name these 10 former Leeds United defenders?
Former Leeds United defender James Debayo has two offers from clubs in Europe
James Debayo joined the Leeds academy from Watford in 2021 and made just two senior appearances for the Whites under manager Daniel Farke.
Leeds offered him a contract to stay at Elland Road this summer, but he rejected the offer, as well as a couple more approaches from English clubs, as he wants to play senior football next season.
The 20-year-old’s future remains unresolved, but according to Football Insider, the defender has two concrete offers on his table from European clubs.
Debayo is deciding on the offers from Belgian club Cercle Brugge and Portuguese club SC Uniao Torreense this summer.
Leeds will receive training compensation once he completes a transfer move this summer, as he is still only 20.
The defender is likely to continue his career in Europe and look to build back his reputation in either Belgium or Portugal over the next few years.
Debayo was never going to make it at Leeds
With Leeds fighting for promotion last season, Farke could ill-afford to take his chances on a young centre-back in the middle of a massive campaign.
Pascal Struijk and Joe Rodon were the first-choice pairing, and Debayo had little hope of getting any game time last season, given Leeds’ need for promotion.
The defender made the right call by rejecting a contract offer from the Whites, as he was going to be even further down the pecking order in the Premier League.
A move away from Leeds and England will give him the space to develop his game and become a better player in the next few years.
