Leeds United have insisted that they spent every penny they could during the summer transfer window. However, the details of the overall squad cost reveal the challenge the club are facing in their fight to stay in the Premier League.
The Whites forked out more than £100m on ten recruits in the summer transfer window to bolster the squad that won the Championship and earned promotion last season.
Daniel Farke had one of the most expensive squads in the Championship last season, when they scored 100 points to secure promotion, but the story is very different in the top flight.
Premier League clubs have far deeper pockets, and Leeds decided against competing with them in the market while ensuring that they did whatever they could to bolster their options.
Can you name these 10 former Leeds United defenders?
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Leeds United squad for the 2025/26 season and the overall cost
Goalkeepers
Lucas Perri – £13.9m (rising to £15.6m)
Leeds needed a new number one this summer, and the Whites believed that they have secured a top goalkeeper in Perri from Lyon. He is currently out injured with a muscle strain.
Illan Meslier – £5m
Leeds wanted to sell Meslier in the summer, but were unable to sell him. The Frenchman is expected to be back in the squad against Fulham this weekend.
Karl Darlow – £400,000
Karl Darlow replaced Meslier in the team towards the end of last season, and is the designated number 2 to Perri in the squad this season.
Alex Cairns (undisclosed minimal fee)
Alex Cairns is nothing more than a fourth-choice goalkeeper in the Leeds squad and will leave at the end of the season, when his contract expires.
Defenders
Jayden Bogle – £5m
Leeds signed Bogle from Sheffield United last year, and he played a pivotal role in securing promotion from the Championship. He has continued to impress at right-back in the Premier League this season.
Gabriel Gudmundsson – £10.3m
Leeds needed to sign a new left-back after Junior Firpo left at the end of last season, and the club splashed out £10.3m to sign Gudmundsson from Lille. He has looked solid at the start of the season.
Pascal Struijk (free)
Leeds snapped up the defender from the Ajax academy on a free transfer when he was just 18. He has worked his way through the ranks and has been one of the most important players in the team over the last few years.
Joe Rodon – £10m
Joe Rodon had a successful loan spell at Leeds before he returned to Elland Road last year from Tottenham for a deal worth £10m. The Welshman has been a rock at the back for the Whites in the last couple of years and has been one of their most durable players.
Jaka Bijol – £15m
Leeds splashed out £15m to sign the centre-back from Udinese in the summer. However, his only appearance came in the EFL Cup defeat at Sheffield Wednesday, and he is coming off a poor international break.
Sebastiaan Bornauw – £5.1m
Following Bijol’s arrival, Leeds splashed out another £5.1m to sign Bornauw from Wolfsburg. He has also only made an appearance in the EFL Cup defeat.
James Justin – £8m (rising to £10m)
Leeds paid a fee worth £8m to sign Justin from Leicester City towards the end of the transfer window. He made his debut in the 0-0 draw against Newcastle United just before the break.
Sam Byram (Free)
After seven years away from his hometown club, Byram returned for a second stint at Leeds in 2023 on a free transfer. He signed a one-year extension at the end of last season.
Midfielders
Ethan Ampadu – £7m
Leeds spent £7m to sign the Welsh star from Chelsea in 2023 following their relegation from the Premier League. The defender soon became club captain and has been one of the most important players for Daniel Farke over the last couple of years.
Sean Longstaff – £12m (rising to £15m)
Leeds needed Premier League experience this summer, and the club went out and bought Longstaff from Newcastle for a deal worth up to £15m. His performance against the Magpies before the break showed why the club splashed out considerable money on him.
Anton Stach – £17.3m (rising to £19.9m)
Possibly the signing of the summer, Stach has been brilliant at the start of the season. Leeds splashed out more than £17m to sign him from Hoffenheim, and he has been their best player in the first three Premier League games.
Ao Tanaka – £3m
Tanaka was one of Leeds’ players of the season last year, and it is still hard to believe that the club only paid £3m to sign him from Fortuna Düsseldorf last summer.
Ilia Gruev – £5m
Gruev is one more player that Daniel Farke signed from Germany since taking charge of the club. He arrived from Werder Bremen for £5m in 2023.
Forwards
Dan James – £24.8m
Dan James is the most expensive player in the Leeds squad. He was signed for close to £25m from Manchester United in 2021. He had a loan spell at Fulham before returning to Elland Road in 2023.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin (Free)
Leeds signed the former Everton striker on a free transfer this summer after missing out on a couple of targets. He has looked lively at the start of the season, without scoring a goal.
Joel Piroe – £10.5m
Leeds paid a hefty £10.5m to sign the striker from Swansea in 2023 when the Whites were relegated back to the Championship. He scored 20 goals last season to help them secure promotion to the Premier League.
Brenden Aaronson – £24.7m
Leeds splashed out close to £25m on Aaronson in 2022, but he struggled in the Premier League and the Whites were relegated. He spent a season on loan in Germany before returning to Elland Road last year.
Lukas Nmecha (Free)
Nmecha was Leeds’ first signing of the summer since securing promotion last season. He joined on a free transfer and scored the winning goal against Everton on the opening day of the season.
Noah Okafor – £13m (rising to £18m)
Okafor was not Leeds’ primary target, but the club secured a deal to sign him from AC Milan for a deal worth up to £18m last month. He made his debut in the EFL Cup defeat and recently recovered from a groin injury.
Jack Harrison – £11m
Harrison spent three seasons on loan at Leeds before his move from Manchester City was made permanent in 2021 for £11m. However, he left Elland Road in 2023 and spent the last two years on loan at Everton. The winger was reintegrated to the squad over the summer.
Wilfried Gnonto – £3.8m
Leeds paid a paltry £3.8m to sign the Italy winger from FC Zurich in 2022. He has been a pivotal part of the squad since then.
Out on loan
Largie Ramazani – £10m
Leeds signed Ramazani for a deal worth £10m last summer, but he struggled to get game time last season. He was loaned out to Valencia this summer, with Daniel Farke revealing that the player wanted to return to Spain.
Mateo Joseph – £900,000
Leeds signed the Spaniard from Espanyol for a deal worth less than a million pounds, and hopes were high for him. However, Joseph flattered to deceive last season and was loaned out to Mallorca after he agitated for a move away.
Joe Gelhardt – £1m
Joe Gelhardt was considered a bright young prospect when Leeds signed him from Wigan. However, he struggled for prominence at Elland Road and is currently out on loan at Hull City.
Isaac Schmidt – £2.5m (rising to £4.6m)
Leeds snapped up the Swiss defender for a deal worth up to £4.6m last summer, but he hardly played any football last season. Werder Bremen signed him on loan with an option to buy this summer.
Max Wober – £11m
The Whites splashed out £11m on Wober in 2022, but he failed to help them stay in the Premier League. He spent a season on loan in Germany before he returned to Elland Road last year.
The defender was again loaned out to Werder Bremen this summer.
Leeds’ squad cost is less than the transfer spending of three Premier League clubs this summer
Since Leeds were in the Premier League as recently as 2023, their squad cost is fairly expensive still, but it is nowhere close to the other top-flight sharks.
Leeds’ current squad has cost a hefty £204.8m so far, a figure that climbs to £219.1m once add-ons are factored in. And when you include the five loanees, the overall price tag soars to £246.6m.
Chelsea and Newcastle United have spent more than that on new players this summer, and Liverpool’s spending is more than double that for the last transfer window.
It just shows the gap between the big Premier League teams and Leeds, and the challenge the Whites will face to survivein the top flight this season.
