Leeds United are just over 24 hours away from their opening Premier League opener when they will host Everton at Goodison Park on Monday night. However, the club are also working hard behind the scenes to ensure Daniel Farke’s squad get properly strengthened.
The Whites confirmed the arrival of former Everton striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin on Friday. The 28-year-old forward has joined on a free transfer, and could be in the squad for the fixture on Monday night, though Farke insisted that he still needs to build up his fitness in the coming days.
Most Read on The Leeds Press
Leeds hope to sign one more striker before the end of the window, as there are concerns over Calvert-Lewin’s fitness. The club are also keen to add one more winger and a versatile attacking midfielder to their squad before the September 1st deadline.
The Yorkshire giants are keeping tabs on several players as they continue to assess their options in the final weeks of the transfer window, and are expected to make a few concrete moves in the coming days.
Can you name these 10 former Leeds United midfielders?
Manager unhappy with Leeds United target Bilal El Khannouss’ performance
Leicester lost 2-1 at Preston on Saturday, and Bilal El Khannouss was taken off at half-time by Foxes boss Marti Cifuentes following a poor performance.
The Moroccan midfielder has been heavily linked with a move away from Leicester, and Leeds are among the clubs that have made a concrete offer to his representatives.
Cifuentes has continued to select El Khannouss despite suggestions that he is almost certain to leave, but on Saturday, he was taken off during half-time at Preston.
The Leicester boss was not happy with the performance of the entire team in the first half, but insisted that he took off the attacking midfielder as he expected more from his best players on the pitch.
“I wasn’t very happy with Bilal’s performance”, Cifuentes was quoted as saying by the Leicester Mercury.
“With players of this quality, I always expect a lot.
“I was not happy with the whole performance in the first half, about the whole team, so it’s not just about Bilal. But usually I’m more demanding with the best players, and Bilal is a fantastic player.”
The mystery of El Khannouss’ release clause
It emerged earlier in the window that the Moroccan midfielder has a £24.5m release clause in his contract, which Leeds were happy to pay.
However, a few weeks later, it was revealed that the clause is more than £30m. Leeds still have the lead over clubs such as Newcastle United in the race for El Khannouss.
The release clause was supposed to expire at the end of last week, but there are no indications that this is the case as of now.
If the clause has lapsed, Leicester now have the advantage in the negotiations, and they could demand a transfer fee of their liking.
However, El Khannouss wants to leave and is still expected to move on from Leicester before the September 1st deadline.
Related Topics