There are only two weeks left of the summer transfer window, with Leeds United needing to move some players on before the deadline.
Every player Leeds United have so far moved on was either surplus to requirements or further down the pecking order, meaning they have been able to retain all of their best players and most vital assets thus far.
That doesn’t mean there isn’t time for exits, and there have been some concerns all summer regarding Pascal Struijk’s Leeds future. He could be the one to raise the funds in order for the club to conduct more of the big-money business.
Adam Pope has raised concerns over Struijk’s future in recent months and Beren Cross explained the Struijk PSR situation as well, with the noise regarding his future simply not going away.
Leeds United defender Pascal Struijk
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Pascal Struijk linked with Villarreal move
Graham Smyth has raised fresh Struijk concerns since those claims, with PSR being the most used word of Leeds’ summer window. The Dutchman is touted as one of the primary sales Leeds can make this summer.
Struijk was not present in Leeds’ kit launch, which also caused a stir. Then, if Jaka Bijol signing for Leeds concerned Struijk, Sebastiaan Bornauw’s arrival may have him sweating a little more about his place in the pecking order.
All summer long, Struijk and Willy Gnonto have been earmarked as PSR sales potentially. That update came after Struijk was linked to PSV Eindhoven. At this stage, it would be a surprising exit, but another shock name has been involved.
Now, with only a few weeks until the window closes, Struijk has been linked to another of European football’s most significant names of recent years. La Liga side Villarreal have reportedly joined the race.
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Leeds faced Villarreal at Elland Road in pre-season, but Pete O’Rourke reports the 2021 Europa League winners have made Struijk a target before the close of the transfer window.
Daniel Farke, Leeds United manager.
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Daniel Farke has called Pascal Struijk a ‘cornerstone’ for the club
Having donned the captain’s armband throughout the last two seasons at various different points up until his injury issues arose, it’s clear that Daniel Farke sees Struijk as one of his most crucial players.
An alternative would be to hand Struijk a new contract at Leeds as a statement to the Dutchman that he is valued and that they wish to retain him for their upcoming campaign.
Speaking back in 2023/24, Farke felt the need to underline the 26-year-old’s importance to the side (via The Yorkshire Evening Post) and called him a cornerstone of the club’s future.
He said: “Feels a bit crazy that we didn’t speak about him last two months and thank God we didn’t have to because our defensive behaviour was spot on. He’s a cornerstone for our future.”
Leeds selling a player held in such high regard with little time left to replace him seems unlikely, but stranger things have happened in football.