A general view of Elland Road, home of Leeds United(Image: CameraSport via Getty Images)
Leeds United look set to step in and fill a void left by Manchester United after a pre-season friendly against RB Leipzig, negotiated by the Red Devils as part of the deal to sign Benjamin Sesko, will not take place this summer. The Bundesliga outfit will still head to England before the start of the 2026-27 season, to take on Leeds United at Elland Road instead.
The game is slated for the weekend commencing August 8th, once both clubs have returned from trips to the United States and Austria, respectively, and comes just a few days before Leeds fly to Ireland to take on Man United at Croke Park. Red Bull bought a minority stake in Leeds and became their front-of-shirt sponsor ahead of the 2024-25 campaign when the Whites won the Championship title, the company are believed to have a stake that equates to around 10% of the ownership, with their equity decreased as part of the front of shirt deal. Relations between Leeds and Leipzig have improved significantly since November 2022 when the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) dismissed an appeal and ordered Leeds to pay Leipzig £18.4 million for Jean-Kevin Augustin. At the time, Leeds disputed whether they had to pay their 'obligation to buy' the striker because the COVID-19 pandemic had disrupted their season. The ownership partnership has improved relations, evident by this latest friendly.
The game will come after a USA tour which sees matches against Wrexham in Tampa, Sunderland in New Jersey, and Liverpool at Soldier Field.
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