Who is Leeds United and Wolves target Nico Elvedi? | OneFootball

Football League World takes a look at Borussia Monchengladbach's Nico Elvedi, who is a reported target for both Leeds United and Wolves

According to recent reports, both Leeds United and Premier League outfit Wolves are interested in Borussia Mönchengladbach's Nico Elvedi.

A report published by TEAMtalk on New Year's Day revealed that Leeds are currently ahead of Wolves in the race to sign Elvedi. It's said that Wolves are setting their sights on a deal for Lens defender Kevin Danso after being linked with Elvedi, who now appears more likely to join Leeds out of the suitors.

Any such deal for Elvedi, however, does appear unlikely until the summer transfer window, with the 28-year-old reportedly unwilling to drop down to the Championship.

It will be hoped, then, that Leeds can maintain their red-hot form under Daniel Farke and return to the Premier League at the second time of asking come May - and they're in a good position to do exactly that.

But who is Elvedi? Football League World takes a closer look...

Nico Elvedi's career

It's no wonder that Elvedi isn't open to moving to the second-tier, as he's enjoyed a strong top-flight career which is still going strong after spending nearly a decade in Borussia Mönchengladbach's first-team.

Elvedi, who hails from Switzerland, signed for Mönchengladbach from FC Zurich in 2015 and has gone on to make 312 appearances and counting for the German side. He's been a near ever-present, and has made 20 or more appearances in each of his nine full campaigns with the club.

Capable of playing as a central defender or as a right-back, Elvedi's versatility has made him an important player for Mönchengladbach for a long time now. He has faced injuries this season but remains key when fit, having played in nine of Mönchengladbach's first 15 Bundesliga outings, with the side currently in eighth place.

Interestingly, Elvedi also played under current Whites boss Farke in the 2022/23 campaign. That's going to be a driving force behind Leeds' interest, and it will be intriguing to see if that sways the player into leaving Germany for Elland Road.

Elvedi has also managed to impress in European competitions too, and he's played 17 UEFA Champions League matches while with Mönchengladbach. He has an impressive pedigree behind him, and it's not limited just to club football either.

Nico Elvedi's international career with Switzerland

As well as being a mainstay for Monchengladbach, Elvedi has proved his worth on the international stage.

After making his debut in a 2-1 friendly defeat to Belgium all the way back in May 2016, Elvedi has earned a further 55 caps for Switzerland, scoring two goals.

Elvedi played twice for Switzerland in the 2022 FIFA World Cup and made five appearances at EURO 2020, although he didn't feature in the tournament's most recent edition last summer.

Nico Elvedi's transfer value and contract situation

According to the aforementioned report from TEAMtalk, Elvedi is valued at £10m (€12m) by Monchengladbach. For a versatile defender with years of tangible top-flight and international experience, and at a prime age, that's hardly an excessive valuation, and it's one which both Leeds - particularly in the event of promotion - and Wolves should both be capable of meeting if they see fit.

But Elvedi is on a good contract with Monchengladbach, which could add a potential degree of difficulty to the task of prizing him away. According to Capology, Elvedi is earning an estimated weekly salary of €67,308 (£55,816). He's also under contract for another year-and-a-half, having penned fresh terms in September 2023.

Leeds would be able to match that salary in the Premier League, one would like to imagine, but there has to be some caution given some of the extortionate salaries they shelled out and never received a meaningful return on during their previous top-flight spell.