The Premier League is already chock-full of players Leeds United could – and maybe should – have signed in transfer windows gone.
Leeds had chartered a private jet to pick Cody Gakpo up from PSV Eindhoven, only to see the winger bide his time and secure a mega-money switch to Liverpool later down the line.
Leeds United were also early to the Josko Gvardiol party, eyeing up the then-Dinamo Zagreb starlet long before he was a £77 million member of Pep Guardiola’s treble-winning Manchester City squad.
This month, meanwhile, makes it one year since Leeds were linked with a move for the £6 million-rated Koni de Winter shortly after the young defender earned his first ever cap for the Belgian national team.
With Genoa holding an option to make De Winter a permanent member of their squad back in 2024, however, Leeds’ chances always looked somewhat slim. The Yorkshire giants would have had to convince Genoa to trigger that clause – which they eventually did of course – before selling him on immediately.
Or, failing that, they’d have had to convince Juventus to pull out of that Genoa deal and green-light another one.
To say it was a complicated deal to pull off would be an understatement. Once Leeds United lost to Southampton in the Championship play-offs, any lingering hopes had been dispelled.
Photo by Jonathan Moscrop/Getty Images
Photo by Jonathan Moscrop/Getty Images
Koni de Winter is now valued at £30 million after Leeds United interest
Of course, it is not out of the question that Leeds could renew their interest in De Winter this summer, presuming Premier League football does return to Elland Road at the second time of asking.
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Max Wober’s uncertain future means there may be place in Farke’s squad for another left-sided central defender.
In the last 12 months, however, the Antwerp-born 22-year-old has seen his reputation – and his price-tag – rise considerably. New claims from Caught Offside suggest that De Winter could, like Gakpo and Gvardiol, join one of the Premier League’s established big hitters.
Tottenham Hotspur are keen. As are Leeds’ cross-Pennine rivals Manchester United.
De Winter has admirers at Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Inter Milan and Napoli too, with Genoa expected to hold out for around £30 million.
If Leeds had it tough back in 2024, then it won’t get any easier in 2025, Premier League football or no Premier League football.
With the Belgian national team looking to put that ironically-named ‘Golden Generation’ behind them and move towards a new era, De Winter is one of those expected to play a major role under new boss Rudi Garcia.
In an interview with iNews a few weeks back, Koni de Winter opened up on his similarities with Vincent Kompany, the legendary Manchester City captain.
“All my life I have been told I play like Vincent Kompany,” he said. “I have this ability to make runs with the ball like he did, I have the same technical side. It’s a really big name, so I one day hope to be able to live up to him.
“You look at the other big names (former Belgian Premier League defenders) and it is only right that they ended playing up in the best competitions.”