Leeds United will hope still to be a Premier League club this summer.placeholder image
Leeds United will hope still to be a Premier League club this summer. | Getty Images
Leeds United’s summer sales predicted - as they target Premier League survival
Leeds United stretched their gap over the bottom three to four points last weekend as a goalless draw with Brentford saw the Whites edge their way closer to Premier League safety.
The international break will now allow Daniel Farke’s side the chance to rest and regroup, though some of his players will be away for international duty – such as Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Anton Stach, both of whom recently earnt recalls to their native England and Germany respectively after stellar campaigns.
The Whites have not won in their last six league matches and have just two wins in the top flight in 2026, but their recent succession of draws has seen the 40-point mark come ever closer – only Bournemouth have more Premier League draws this term than Leeds’ 12. With home matches against bottom two Wolves and Burnley to come, the Yorkshire outfit remain in the driving seat to secure safety.
With that in mind, we had a look at which Leeds first-team stars could be on their way out of the club this summer – assuming the club stay up.
Who Leeds could sell this summer - according to the latest rumours
One player who has been touted for a summer exit frequently in recent months is striker Joel Piroe. Despite being the Championship Golden Boot winner with 19 league goals in Leeds’ promotion-winning campaign, Piroe has struggled to adapt to the top flight.
This was somewhat predicted by fans towards the start of the season, and the 26-year-old has failed to prove the doubters wrong, not making a single league start since August and failing to find the net in 13 appearances in all. A summer exit is anticipated for the Dutchman, with links to both Glasgow clubs Celtic and Rangers emerging over recent months. Piroe cost Leeds more than £10million in 2023 and the club would hope to at least get their money back, if not make a profit on the striker.
Another big-name Leeds star whose future which has appeared to come into doubt is midfielder Ao Tanaka. The 27-year-old has had his part to play with crucial goals against both Chelsea and Liverpool within a matter of days in December, but first-team minutes have been hard to come by for the Japanese since the turn of the year. He has yet to start a league game in 2026 and recently spent a seven-game stretch without even being introduced off the bench.
As a result, transfer speculation ahead of the summer has begun to emerge from a trio of German sides as per TEAMtalk, in Schalke, Hannover and Union Berlin. The former two clubs are targeting promotion to the Bundesliga and could make Tanaka a marquee summer signing. He was signed by Leeds for just £2.9m in 2024 and has proven a very astute buy, particularly if a transfer fee upwards of £15m-£20m can be brought in for his sale this summer.
Wing wizard and exiled star could also depart Elland Road
Meanwhile, Wilfried Gnonto has also been used sparingly by Farke this season and might also make the decision to move on in search of more regular first-team football at the end of the campaign.
The Italian is still just 22, having burst onto the scene as a fresh-faced 19-year-old back in 2022/23, terrorising Premier League defences prior to the Whites’ relegation. But he was in and out of the side in the Championship last season under Farke and this term has seen the winger fall further down the pecking order, with just four league starts and 16 appearances in all. Gnonto may command upwards of £20m and the club might feel it is worth cashing in come the summer.
A fourth Leeds player who is set to see the exit door this summer will come as no surprise. Illan Meslier was Leeds’ No.1 until April of their promotion-winning campaign but after losing his place in the side to Karl Darlow, he has never earnt it back. The 26-year-old has been named in the squad for a Premier League fixture just once since October, not at all in 2026, and has been playing instead with the Under-21s as he looks to keep his fitness up. With his contract expiring this summer, Meslier looks set to depart the club as a free agent.
If Leeds suffer relegation back to the Championship at the first attempt, there is more likely to be a fire sale, with star players such as Stach and Calvert-Lewin candidates to be the first out of the door. But the club, as it stands, have it in their own hands to avoid that fate and establish themselves as a top-flight side, for another year at least.
Continue Reading