Leeds are eyeing a £25m Rolls-Royce star

Leeds United It is currently higher than championship It is one point ahead of Burnley and Sheffield United in the table after the weekend's matches.

However, the Whites could have maintained their three-point lead in the division if they had managed to avoid conceding two goals in the final 10 minutes against Hull in their last match.

Daniel FarkThe Chileans took a 3-1 lead in the final moments of the match, but conceded in the 81st and 90th minutes – with Illane Meslier making a bad mistake on the first of those goals – as seen in the highlights below.

The January transfer window officially opened for business last week, and Leeds could dive into the market to give their squad the boost they need to secure automatic promotion to the Premier League in the second half of the season.

They are reportedly in talks To secure a deal to sign Nottingham Forest defender Andrew Omobamidele, who Farke worked with during his time at Norwich City.

However, the Whites are also thinking about what they can do in the summer to improve the team if they can return to the top flight.

Leeds United are eyeing a summer deal for the defensive giant

According to journalist Graeme BaileyLeeds are eyeing a campaign to bring centre-back Ben Godfrey to Elland Road in the summer transfer window.

Ipswich Town, rivals of his former club Norwich, officially confirmed his arrival on loan from Atalanta until the end of the season on Sunday, meaning they will be unable to conclude a deal for his services in the current window.

However, the West Yorkshire side have not given up on seeing the star defender at the club in 2025, as they now plan to make a move for him ahead of the 2025/26 season.

Speaking to Leeds United NewsBilly said: “Leeds love Godfrey and were close to getting him. The player respects them, but the opportunity to play for six months in the English Premier League was difficult for him to turn down.”

“Leeds are still keen on him and, I’m told, if promotion is confirmed, Godfrey is one of the players they already have in their sights.”

It is understood that Godfrey – Which once cost Everton £25m – He preferred to go and play with Ipswich in the English Premier League in the second half of the season to prove himself in the first division, after having been in the first division in Italy or England since the 2020/21 season.

Farke and Leeds must now hope that the Tractor Boys do not avoid relegation and can convince the England international to join them on a permanent basis.

It will be interesting to see what kind of role the German boss envisages for Godfrey at Elland Road next season, with Joe Rodon and Pascal Struijk having been his first-choice centre-backs so far this season.

How did Leeds United's centre-backs perform this season?

While Ethan Ampadu can cover at centre-back, as he did in the second half of last season, Rodon and Struijk are the only natural centre-backs to feature regularly during Farke's tenure – with Max Wobber being used at left-back. role.

Leeds currently do not have a natural right centre-back to compete with the Wales international, who joined on a permanent deal from Tottenham Hotspur in the summer.

As you can see in the table above, Struijk has vastly outperformed the former Tottenham defender for the Whites in the Championship so far this season.

The Dutchman was more in control of his defensive duels and avoided making any major mistakes, while Rodon actually made three critical errors defensively.

This suggests Godfrey could be brought in alongside Struijk in a potential Premier League campaign, with him coming in as a right-footed centre-back to play alongside the former Ajax player in the 2025/26 season.

Why could Ben Godfrey and Pascal Strijk work?

Firstly, the Atalanta giant, currently on loan at Ipswich, is naturally right-footed and can play comfortably alongside the left-footed Struijk, although he played as a left-back at times under Farke at Norwich.

This suggests that he would be a stylistic fit with the way the German star wants his team to build play from the back, with both defenders able to play with confidence.

Godfrey only played One match in the Italian League For Atalanta in the first half of the season but he did Start 13 times In the English Premier League for Everton last season and his average 3.1 Interventions and interceptions Per match – much more than Rodon managed to achieve at championship level.

This shows that the 26-year-old already has Premier League experience and has the ability to make consistent defensive tackles at this level, which earned him a move to the Serie A giants last summer.

The England international, who was once described as “Rolls Royce” By Ben Winst Podcast He will also arrive at Elland Road as a player Farke already admires, having brought the giant to Norwich as a youngster and winning the league title with him at Norfolk.

As you can see in the table above, Godfrey was particularly key to what Norwich wanted to do with possession in their 2018/19 title-winning season, ranking highly among his positional peers in the division in a host of progressive possession-based statistics.

The English ace who claimed FARC It has “world class” potential. As a centre-back, he also won 63% of his ground confrontations He did not commit any error that directly led to scoring a goal for the opponent.

These stats, whether from his time in the top flight with the German coach or in the Premier League with Everton, suggest that the potential is there for him to come in and provide greater quality than Rodon, who has struggled this season.

Therefore, Godfrey could be a dream for the Strojk if they reach the Premier League, as an experienced and progressive defender who could be a rock at centre-back on Elland's way forward – if they can secure a deal to sign him. From Atalanta in the summer.