During the summer transfer window, Leeds United aimed to make a big signing to fill the gap left by Crysencio Summerville and Georginio Rutter in their attack. However, they had trouble convincing one top target.
Dinamo Zagreb attacking midfielder Martin Baturina and Aston Villa’s Emi Buendia are two names that Leeds couldn’t convince to drop from a top-flight league to England’s second tier to help them with their promotion aspirations.
Now, more details are emerging on another forward who shared reservations about going from one of Europe’s top five leagues to the Championship.
Behind the scene details on Leeds’ failed pursuit of Roland Sallai
SC Freiburg’s Roland Sallai was one name this summer linked to Leeds, but no deal happened from their interest. Nonetheless, on Wednesday, HITC reported, citing sources, that the two clubs eventually green-lit a fee of around £8.5 million.
However, Sallai started having doubts about moving from the Bundesliga to England’s second division. After playing in UEFA Euro 2024 and earning over 50 caps for Hungary, he may have been concerned that leaving one of Europe’s top leagues could hurt his chances with the national team.
Sallai’s contract with Freiburg runs out in the summer of 2025, and HITC reports that Leeds might come back with another offer in January. If Farke’s team is at the top of the table by then, with Premier League football on the horizon, the 27-year-old might find a move to Elland Road more appealing.
Leeds’ hopes could vanish before then if Sallai finalizes his move to Turkey on Friday, the last day of the Super Lig transfer window.
According to BeIN Sports reporter Nezih Aksener, Galatasaray have proposed a four-year contract to Sallai at the Turkish champions.
It will be interesting to see if the player takes the reported offer from Galatasaray or remains in Germany and reevaluates his options in January since he’d be a few months away from leaving as a free agent.
Nonetheless, these next few hours will be crucial to see if Leeds can revisit one of their top targets in a few months or whether they’ll have to cross him off their transfer file list.