The first order of business for Leeds United this summer was to renew the contract of club captain Ethan Ampadu. Fans were pleased with the decision and thought more renewals were lined up.
At the end of last season, a whole host of first team players were out of contract or had 12 months left on their deals.
Leeds did not offer Illan Meslier a new deal, bringing an end to his long stay at Elland Road. Sam Byram, Karl Darlow and Alex Cairns were all offered new contracts.
Cairns was the only one to sign his deal, extending his stay.
Darlow decided to join Manchester United as a free agent, and no one really knows the status of Sam Byram, who is free to discuss deals with other clubs.
Leeds United set to open contract talks with first team star
Pascal Struijk was offered an extension, but turned it down in order to join Brighton. The defender was in the final year of his contract.
Leeds United now have four players who will be out of contract in the summer of 2027; Brenden Aaronson, Joe Gelhardt, Ilia Gruev, Lukas Nmecha and Joel Piroe. All of them are currently with the team in the US.
Pete O’Rourke of Football Insider is reporting that the Whites are set to enter talks with Aaronson over a new deal.
The midfielder played 42 games in all competitions last season, scoring four goals and providing five assists. In the report, it is believed that the USMNT international is open to staying at Elland Road.
This round of talks is to see how willing the player is to continue at the club.
Nothing has been confirmed as of yet, and it could be a while before a decision is made by either party going forward.
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Daniel Farke is a fan of Brenden Aaronson
Aaronson has been a polarizing figure since he joined the club for a huge fee years ago.
Till date, some of the fanbase believe he is not good enough to be playing at any level for the club. Regardless of that, he continues to be a key contributor under Daniel Farke.
The Leeds boss is a fan of the American, and often comes to his defence when the midfielder faces criticism.
Farke appreciates Aaronson because of his discipline and ability to play in a variety of roles in his current system. Last season, he played as a right winger, before being moved into midfield.
He still managed to rack up nine goal involvements, which is more than some attackers in the team.
Daniel Farke’s influence could be a key reason why the 25-year old will continue his stay at the club in the near future.
Well if Leeds standards are going to be that low for goodness sake give someone with some real goal scoring skills a go and let Joe Gelhardt back into the team. At least he knows how to find the back of the net and knows how to play the 10 role.
He never got a fair chance at Leeds after Bielsa left and Leeds have just wasted him and let him down badly.