Leeds United & Hull City in Europe-wide transfer battle for 6ft 3in international midfielder | OneFootball

The Whites and the Tigers are set to rival each other for the signing of Austria Vienna midfielder Abubakr Barry in the summer transfer window.

Leeds United and Hull City are set to battle it out for the signing of Austria Vienna midfielder Abubakr Barry in the summer transfer window.

As per a report by Austrian outlet Kronen Zietung (via Sport Witness), Barry has impressed for the Austrian Bundesliga outfit since joining on a free transfer from Israeli second-division club Bnei Yehuda last May, leading to Leeds and Hull registering an interest in the Gambian international.

The saga is set to develop when the Whites and Tigers know exactly what league they will be playing in next term, with Leeds United sitting at the summit of the second tier and closing in on a return to the Premier League, while Hull City are teetering on the edge of the League One relegation trapdoor, currently sitting only two points clear of 22nd-placed Cardiff City heading into the final run-in.

With it still all to play for between now and May, Leeds and Hull are seemingly putting early plans in place for summer business, with Barry a player being identified to bolster their midfield ranks significantly heading into next term.

Leeds United & Hull City in transfer race for Abubakr Barry - French & German clubs also keen

According to the report made by Austrian newspaper Kronen Zietung (via Sport Witness), Championship rivals Leeds and Hull are both keen on making a move for midfielder Barry.

The 24-year-old has impressed in the middle of the park for Austria Vienna, turning himself into a regular starter and a firm fan favourite, with the outlet describing him as being ‘technically gifted’.

Barry has featured 22 times for Austria Vienna this campaign, registering one goal and three assists as well as starting 19 of those fixtures.

He’s played a key part in their rise up the Austrian Bundesliga table, with his side winning 13 out of their last 16 league outings.

Such an impressive run of form has alerted other clubs from around Europe too, with interest arriving from the German second division and Ligue 1 as well as Leeds and Hull’s imminent approaches.

Barry’s contract is due to run down in 2026, so the Austrian outfit will have to make a decision over whether to extend his contract or sell the midfielder this summer to avoid losing him on a free transfer the following year.

Their sporting director has hinted it will be the latter, admitting in the newspaper report that he’d like to see offers “in the millions of euros” for Barry, in what appears to be a call for an auction for the Gambian's services.

Abubakr Barry’s future won’t be decided until after the end of the 2024-25 season

As far as Leeds United and Hull City are concerned, it’s far too early to be predicting a destination for Abubakr Barry, particularly when both sides don’t know which division they’ll be playing in next season.

Being introduced to English football for the first time, it would make more sense for Barry to work his way up through the divisions, which would mean a move to Hull City could work out better for his development, even if they are relegated to League One next season.

With Leeds in the driving seat to return to the top-flight, it would be difficult to envisage Barry staking a claim for regular first-team football early on, potentially leading to an unhappy period at Elland Road and a negative beginning to a potential career in England.

This saga won’t be addressed until Leeds and Hull know where they will play next season, but it will be intriguing to see if the midfielder will be interested in a move to one of the Yorkshire-based clubs.