Leeds United’s summer plans are beginning to take clearer shape, with The Athletic now confirming the club retain an interest in a €20 million-rated midfielder from the Belgian Pro League.
Leeds have already made two senior additions this month. Striker Lukas Nmecha became the club’s first signing of the window, arriving on a free transfer following the expiry of his Wolfsburg contract. The 25-year-old was available without a fee and offers an athletic, flexible option across the front line.
Jaka Bijol followed soon after, with the 63-cap Slovenia international finalised as Leeds’ second summer arrival on Monday evening. The £18.75 million deal had been in the works for several days, but was only officially announced after the weekend.
Bijol is expected to go straight into the starting XI and will add height, experience and a more physical edge at centre-back.
The club have quietly pushed on with key targets in recent weeks, and as we reported yesterday, goalkeeper remains a position of focus.
With Burnley set to complete the signing of Max Weiss from Karlsruhe, James Trafford’s long-anticipated move to Newcastle is now taking shape, and that could open the door for Leeds to act. Nick Pope has just one year left on his deal and, at 33, may be reluctant to play backup at this stage of his career.
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Farke is believed to be a long-time admirer, and Pope’s top-flight experience would be an obvious asset if Meslier were to move on.
The Athletic have named Noah Sadiki, a 20-year-old DR Congo international who made 55 appearances in all competitions last season for Union Saint-Gilloise, as a firm target for the Whites.
Leeds United are interested in Union Saint-Gilloise midfielder Noah Sadiki. Sadiki, a 20-year-old DR Congo midfielder, won the Belgian title with USG last season, qualifying the club for the Champions League for the first time, and was also named in the division’s team of the year.
Leeds have not yet submitted a bid, but are among a group of European clubs interested in a player worth an estimated €20m.
He started all but two of those matches and featured ten times in the UEFA Europa League. While primarily a central midfielder, Sadiki has also played as a defensive midfielder, right winger and attacking midfielder, with occasional appearances at full-back and centre-back.
He has more than 100 senior appearances to his name across USG and Anderlecht, and already has nine international caps for DR Congo. With two years left on his contract, interest is expected to build this summer.
French side Lyon are also mentioned in the report, though The Yorkshire Evening Post say no official approaches have been made at this stage.