Leeds United could turn to some of Europe's best free agents to bolster their squad for the upcoming Premier League season
Abbie Meehan Senior Sports Writer
05:00, 09 Jul 2026
Real Madrid Kiko Casilla, Marcelo, Karim Benzema, Sergio Ramos, Dani Ceballos, Theo Hernandez and Nacho Fernandez celebrating the victory during Semi Finals UEFA Champions League match between Real Madrid and Bayern Munich at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in Madrid, Spain. May 01, 2018.
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The Champions League winner joined Leeds in 2019(Image: COOLMedia/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Leeds United will be looking to bolster their squad this summer as Daniel Farke prepares to embark on a second consecutive Premier League campaign.
The club's return to the top flight last season was full of memorable moments, as they finished in a respectable 14th place. Farke will be looking to build upon this result with reinforcements on the way.
Things are already happening at Elland Road, with Harry Wilson set to join from Fulham on a free transfer, Pascal Struijk having moved to Brighton and an improved offer made for Southampton's Shea Charles. Farke may continue look to Leeds' past free-agent successes as he keeps his summer business within budget.
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Here, Leeds Live has looked at three free agents who made the move to Elland Road in the past.
Kiko Casilla
Leeds United's Kiko Casilla during the Carabao Cup Second Round Northern Section match between Leeds United and Hull City at Elland Road on September 16, 2020 in Leeds, England.
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Kiko Casilla joined Leeds after winning three Champions Leagues with Real Madrid(Image: Alex Dodd - CameraSport via Getty Images)
Kiko Casilla made his first move abroad by joining Leeds on a free transfer in 2019, signing a four-and-a-half-year deal. The goalkeeper had previously turned out for Real Madrid, winning three Champions Leagues and the La Liga title during his time in Spain.
He also earned one cap for Spain, coming on for the final few minutes in a friendly loss to Germany in 2014. He made 62 appearances across three seasons for Leeds, keeping 23 clean sheets and helped them make the jump to the Premier League during the 2019/20 season.
He left by mutual consent in 2022 and joined Getafe weeks later, signing a one-year deal. He retired in 2023 at the age of 36.
Pablo Hernandez
Pablo Hernandez.
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Pablo Hernandez was a clutch player in the big moments(Image: Michael Regan/Getty Images)
Pablo Hernandez joined Leeds during their time in the Championship in 2016 after turning out for the likes of Swansea City, Valencia and Al-Arabi. The attacking midfielder became a cult hero for his actions during the 19/20 campaign, scoring crucial goals to keep pressure on West Bromwich Albion at the top of the table.
Across five seasons at Elland Road, Hernandez scored 36 goals and assisted 41 times in 175 appearances as he helped Leeds return to the Premier League for the first time in 16 years. He was voted the club's Player of the Year and Player's Player of the Year on three occasions, during the 2017/18, 2018/19 and 19/20 campaigns.
Then-manager Marcelo Bielsa was full of praise for the Spain international, stating that the veteran star has "made me a better head coach."
He said: "I think he can make me a better head coach because I see solutions in the decisions he is taking. I only saw this a very few times during my career. Maybe I saw this in players who played in different positions, in the middle of the pitch, but to have such an influence when you play on the side is not usual.
"His style is something that wakens in the rival the desire to neutralise him because he always intervenes, making actions more fluid. He has an influence, he intervenes in very small spaces and he makes the play of his team-mates a lot easier. He really is a player that improves his team-mates."
Hernandez left in 2021 to a fanfare of support from the club and returned to Spain to join Castellon. He retired in 2023 at the age of 38.
Sam Byram
Patrick Bamford and Sam Byram of Leeds United gesture as they pose for a photo after the teams 2-1 victory, which confirmed that the team has won the Sky Bet Championship and promotion to the Premier League following the Sky Bet Championship match between Plymouth Argyle FC and Leeds United FC at Home Park on May 03, 2025 in Plymouth, England.
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Sam Byram went from budding youngster to returning hero(Image: Harry Trump/Getty Images)
Sam Byram was a local academy starlet who caught the eye of Neil Warnock in 2012, making his Leeds debut at Elland Road in a 4-0 League Cup win over Shrewsbury Town. During his first stint with the club, the full-back would make 141 appearances and score 10 goals, as well as contributing 12 assists.
He would move to West Ham United in January 2016 for a fee of around £3.7m. There, Byram would make 36 appearances and assist just twice, before being shipped out to Nottingham Forest on loan and eventually joining Norwich City in 2019.
The full-back would play across the backline for Norwich, racking up 54 appearances and scoring once from a left-back position. His free agency return to Leeds came in the summer of 2023, where he remained until this year.
The now-32-year-old helped his boyhood club win the Championship during the 2024/25 season and signed a new contract to remain with the club during his return to the Premier League last campaign. However, he would only make five appearances during the season, four coming off the bench and 71 minutes of a Carabao Cup second round loss to Sheffield Wednesday.
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