Leeds United: Ilia Gruev bids rejected as interest ramps up | OneFootball

According to Sky Sports Germany, the midfielder is attracting a lot of interest following the end of the campaign.

The 24-year-old featured 29 times in the Championship for Daniel Farke’s side, including 20 starts, as they failed to gain promotion (all stats from Fbref).

The Bulgarian struggled for game time in the initial stages of the season, but grew in importance to the Yorkshire outfit as their promotion push gathered pace in 2024.

But the club narrowly missed out on a Premier League return, losing to Southampton at Wembley Stadium in the play-off final.

Ilia Gruev transfer interest

It has been reported that Leeds received offers for Gruev even prior to their clash against Southampton in late May.

A number of Bundesliga clubs are also keeping tabs on the player, including Champions League finalists Borussia Dortmund.

It is believed that Dortmund have had Gruev on their radar for quite some time, and could now use Leeds’ failure to go up as a chance to make a concrete pursuit.

The club’s chief scout Sven Mislintat was in attendance for the team’s loss to the Saints, as he took a closer look at the midfielder.

Leeds are understood to want to keep Gruev, and he has a contract until the summer of 2027.

However, their failure to gain promotion to the top flight could make it more difficult to keep him than if they had gone up.

While the Championship side would like to hold onto someone who has become a key player in Farke’s first team squad, it has been claimed that they could be open to a sale for the right price.

Gruev has been with Leeds since 2023, joining from Werder Bremen near the end of the previous summer window.

But any fee received by the Whites for Gruev will see a percentage go to the Bundesliga outfit, with Deichstube reporting that a sell-on clause was agreed as part of the deal to sign Gruev last summer.

He is also a senior Bulgaria international, and has earned over a dozen caps for his national side.

Leeds United’s promotion disappointment

Leeds’ disappointing end to the campaign could lead to the departures of a number of key players in the squad.

Farke guided his team to a third place finish, and a 4-0 win over Norwich City in the play-off semi-finals, but an Adam Armstrong goal proved too much for Leeds to overcome in the final.

The likes of Crysencio Summerville and Archie Gray have both been linked with a move away from Elland Road in the aftermath of the defeat.

Farke will be hoping to maintain a competitive side for next season, with their sights firmly set on another push for a top two spot.

Gruev has become key figure at Leeds

Gruev had a slow start to life at Leeds following his summer move from Bremen, but he has grown in importance to the club over the course of the year.

He has impressed with his performances, and is someone Farke will surely be keen to keep.

That his contract runs until 2027 does give the club a lot of leverage when it comes to potential negotiations this summer.

However, most players have a price and Leeds will likely be open to a figure that is too good to turn down.