Leeds United They head into the second half of the season in very good form. Daniel Farke's side are Top table tournamentThey are three points ahead of Burnley and Sheffield United, and are unbeaten in seven matches.
To make sure they can maintain this form from now until the summer and seal back to Premier LeagueThe Whites are reportedly preparing to raid the transfer market in January, and have been linked with several big names.
Among them Nico Elvedi, Borussia Mönchengladbach player and RC Lens defender Abdulkadir Khosanovwho is also believed to attract interest from Manchester City, Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur.
To fund moves for these players, Leeds will have to raise some money by selling some of their current crop. With that in mind, we've listed six players who could leave Elland Road this month.
1
Joe Gilhardt
Linked with: Rangers, Portsmouth, Stoke
Since joining Leeds in 2020 from Wigan Athletic, Joe Gelhardt has struggled for minutes at Elland Road as the years have gone by.
After a respectable 22 appearances during his debut season at senior level, he made 19 appearances the following year as he was transferred on loan to Sunderland.
In the 2023/24 season, after Leeds were relegated back to the Championship, he made just 13 appearances, while this season, he has not even been able to play 90 minutes.
Amid this increasing lack of playing time, Gelhardt was widely linked with a move away from Leeds before Christmas, with A number of clubs across Europe are reportedly keen on securing his services.
According to the Yorkshire Evening Post, Rangers, Portsmouth, Stoke City, Plymouth Argyle, Preston North End and two Belgian clubs were interested in a move for Gelhardt, and the winger himself is open to the idea of spending time in his career at Elland Road. .
2
Patrick Bamford
Associated with: Genoa, Wrexham
Just a few years ago, Patrick Bamford had lit up the Premier League, scoring 17 goals to help Leeds to an impressive ninth-placed finish in the 2020/21 season. These days, the 31-year-old is lucky if he is called up from the bench.
Bamford has not started a Championship game all season for Leeds and has only managed to play 123 minutes off the bench, meaning he is often left watching the action from the sidelines.
According to TEAMtalk, Genoa and Wrexham are prepared to offer Bamford an escape route at Elland Road in January, with both teams monitoring his situation. Football Insider previously reported in October that Bamford Also keen to leave.
3
Pascal Strojek
Related: Tottenham
Last July, Tottenham Hotspur released one of Leeds' stars from last season, Archie Gray, with… £30 million fee Simply too good to refuse. According to reports in late December, Tottenham are planning just that Pounce on another Leeds star player, Pascal Struijk.
Transfer expert Graeme Bailey said: “Struijk has reached his peak and was already under the radar of a lot of people – not Leeds fans – but he is on the radar of a number of Premier League clubs. He has real quality.” “I was told that Tottenham are among those who have checked him.”
However, Bailey added that Leeds do not want to lose the 25-year-old, who has started all but one of their 25 Championship games this season, and is now… Ready to offer him a new contract.
“It is clear that Leeds want him to stay and will look to tie him down to a new deal, but his long-term stay will be dictated by Leeds’ return to the Premier League.”
4
Meslier evening
Related: Arsenal, Manchester United
According to a recent report in the last couple of weeks from TEAMtalk, Manchester United have revived their club Interest in Leeds United goalkeeper Illan Meslier.
The Frenchman was a previous target for the Red Devils before they decided to sign Andre Onana from Inter in the summer of 2023.
Arsenal are also believed to be interested in making a No.2 goalkeeper, and Mikel Arteta is believed to be happy with David Raya's role in the Gunners' squad.
United's No. 2, Altay Binder, who also joined the club in the summer of 2023 alongside Onana from Fenerbahce, has struggled when called up this season and, according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, It could be sold in January.
It's easy to see why United would want Meslier. This season, he has kept 14 clean sheets in 25 matches in the tournament.
5
Maximilian Weber
Related: RB Salzburg
Maximilian Weber He joined Leeds from RB Salzburg for £11m in January 2023, but was transferred to German team Borussia Mönchengladbach after just six months. Since returning to Elland Road in the summer, he has found it difficult to get game time, making just one Championship appearance all season – mainly due to injury.
According to the Austrian newspaper Kurier, reported by Sport Witness, Salzburg is now Keen to have him back at Red Bull Arena this month.
Salzburg manager Ruven Schröder has spoken about the possibility of signing Whober (and Feyenoord's Gernot Trauner) in January, saying: “They are two very good players. We have a young squad, so experienced players are of course exciting. But there are a lot of points.” “This is correct, and we will carefully examine the transfers.”
6
Junior Firpo
Related: Real Betis
Junior Firpo's future with Leeds They seem to be counting on whether they get promoted to the Premier League at the end of the season, and according to Football Insider, he will stay, but fail, and is expected to leave.
Now, in the final six months of his contract at Elland Road, former Barcelona player Firpo is free to talk to new clubs, and is reportedly a target for Real Betis, one of his former clubs.
TEAMtalk With the 28-year-old full-back's future currently unresolved, Betis is 'leading the chase' for his signature, it has been reported. If he returns to Betis, he will be reunited with two of his former Leeds teammates, with Marc Roca and Diego Llorente joining the La Liga side.