Ljubičić joins: 2 signings Leeds United should try make before Portsmouth match on August 10th | OneFootball

FLW outline two signings Leeds United should look to make in the coming weeks.

Leeds United have had a clear out of their squad so far this summer, with no fewer than 17 departures already, and more could yet take place ahead of the 2024/25 season getting underway, whilst new signings remain on the agenda.

Despite enjoying a fine season and clocking up a points tally that would ordinarily win a club automatic promotion, Leeds will have to plan their next steps for the coming season in the Championship after missing out on promotion to the top-flight, meaning plenty of players will be leaving the club, with many out of contract this summer.

The departures already include the likes of Luke Ayling, Lewis Bate, Robin Koch, Jamie Shackleton, and Ian Poveda upon the expiry of their contracts, whilst Jack Harrison, Darko Gyabi, Sonny Perkins, and Sam Greenwood have sealed loan exits.

However, with parachute payments halved in their second year, and reports emerging earlier in the summer that they may have to generate around £100 million in transfer fees, they have been in need of sales. Meanwhile, the further exits for more nominal fees from Marc Roca, Kristoffer Klaesson, Charlie Cresswell, Diego Llorente, and Glen Kamara have all helped Farke and his team in raising necessary funds to help balance the books somewhat.

Despite big losses in Archie Gray and the imminent exit of Crysencio Summerville, and having just missed out on automatic promotion, there will remain optimism that the club can be strong again next season, with Championship competition perhaps less fierce at the top-end of the division when looking at the teams that have gone up and come down.

Joe Rodon, Alex Cairns, Jayden Bogle, and Joe Rothwell have all come in to bolster their ranks. Here, we take a look at two further players that the club should loom to sign before the first game of the season against Portsmouth on August 10th.

According to reports in The Yorkshire Evening Post, Daniel Farke is seeking another No.8 profile in central midfield, as well as full-back cover. That is assuming there are no further outgoings beyond Summerville, including the likes of Georginio Rutter and Willy Gnonto, who's futures remain uncertain. With that in mind, that is where we will focus our attentions.

Dejan Ljubičić

Midfield is an area where Leeds could inarguably use one more signing to strengthen Farke’s options for the season ahead, and a peak-age player with strong physical attributes akin to Kamara makes plenty of sense, even if Leeds fans may also be asking for a more technical footballer next to Ethan Ampadu at the base of midfield.

They lack depth and quality in midfield following the departures of Kamara and Gray and are said to have had a bid rejected by 1. FC Köln for midfielder Dejan Ljubičić. The first bid worth €4 million (£3.4 million) has been knocked by Köln, according to German outlet BILD. The 2. Bundesliga outfit’s managing director Christian Keller has stood firm on the offer from the Whites for the Austrian international's services.

Köln have previously turned down interest from Wolfsburg for the midfielder just 12 months ago, but recent relegation could open the door for an exit from the German club this summer, with Leeds one of the clubs most interested. After midfield departures of their own, Leeds need more than just Rothwell.

The 29-year-old loanee has bolstered Leeds' ranks and should bring more goals and creativity to Farke's team from the middle of the park. However, following the further departures of Darko Gyabi, Marc Roca, Lewis Bate, and Jamie Shackleton this summer, Leeds are light in midfield areas.

Another player in the box-to-box role with serious output could help make Leeds an even more impressive team from midfield next year, and give them the required depth for another automatic promotion push, and Ljubičić ticks plenty of boxes for them.

It remains to be seen what kind of fee could convince Köln to accept a bid for the 26-year-old, but Leeds are likely to return with an improved offer. It is understood that the German side are preparing a contract offer to try and tie down the player to a longer-term deal, but he is unlikely to agree to fresh terms, per Joe Donnohue of The Yorkshire Evening Post.

He will help to bring goals and assists, and plenty of top-flight experience as well, with Leeds lacking in peak-age players in their side, which Ljubičić would help to remedy.

Kian Best

Given that Junior Firpo is the only left-footed left-sided full-back on Leeds' books, that is an obvious area of concern, as Farke and the club have highlighted. Depth is needed there, and although Max Wöber could yet stay, and Pascal Struijk has also played there, a specialist would allow for them to stay centrally in their preferred role of centre-back.

Sam Byram covered full-back on both sides last season, as did Cody Drameh and Jamie Shackleton, but the latter have both exited the club, whilst Luke Ayling, Stuart Dallas, and Connor Roberts' departures have also left Leeds short. A left-footer would help to provide balance, with Byram and Bogle covering one side, whilst Firpo and Kian Best cover the other.

Leeds are in a difficult position with a back-up left-back, as they will know that they are the understudy to Firpo. Therefore, the best solution is to acquire someone who could be happy to play in the U-21 team regularly, but also take some senior minutes when Firpo requires resting or if he is out of action during what is a long 46-game league campaign.

Best is arguably Preston North End's most exciting prospect, as, at only 18 years of age. He started to feature more heavily for his hometown club last season, and fits the bill as the long-term successor at Leeds for Firpo, but without needing to play every minute now, as he is still developing.

Best got the game time to develop somewhat last season, after he played 12 times for Preston in the Championship, totalling 697 minutes of football. He started in five victories for the Lilywhites, and he was also capped at England U-19 level for the first time, scoring a stunner against Romania.

Best is an attack-minded left-back or left wing-back, but is a player in the final 12 months of his contract at Deepdale, after signing a two-year deal back in 2023. That makes him a good value for money signing, and one which has already alerted other clubs, with Fulham sniffing around last season.

There could be plenty of potential interest in the defender this summer, and Leeds should look to get involved in a player who will have much more to come during the coming years, and who will retain resale value as well. It would be a smart addition to add depth in the short-term and a long-term solution at left-back if Best is able to kick on further and improve to the point and usurps Firpo eventually.