Leeds United: Daniel Farke drops Sam Byram, Junior Firpo contract hint | OneFootball

Farke has hinted that the Whites will hold contract talks with the full-back pair, with Firpo and Byram seeing their deals expire in 2025.

Leeds United boss Daniel Farke has hinted that contract talks will eventually take place with Sam Byram and Junior Firpo.

Speaking to Leeds Live, Farke talked up the importance of the pair, with both proving to be important first-teamers for the younger players at Elland Road.

Both players are competing for a starting spot at left-back at this point, but it's Firpo who has managed to establish himself as one of the first names on the teamsheet for the Whites, starting all five league games during the 2024/25 campaign.

Considering their lack of depth at full-back for much of the summer, with the likes of Luke Ayling, Cody Drameh, Archie Gray and Rasmus Kristensen, both players could have been regular starters this term.

But Jayden Bogle and Isaac Schmidt both arrived as right-back options, which could end up limiting Byram's game time between now and the end of the season.

Both Byram and Firpo see their contracts in West Yorkshire expire next summer - and this means that the pair could potentially sign pre-contract agreements with overseas clubs during the January transfer window and beyond then if they aren't tied down to new deals.

And there's a real chance they could lose at least one of these players, with Firpo open to a return to Spain if he ends up leaving Elland Road as a free agent.

However, the player is thought to be keen to stay put in West Yorkshire at this point - and it wouldn't be a surprise if Byram ends up taking a similar stance.

Daniel Farke makes contract admission on Sam Byram and Junior Firpo

Farke has admitted that he hasn't thought too deeply about Byram and Firpo's future at this point - but he has indicated that he wants to keep both and that the club will engage in contract talks with the full-back duo.

He said: "If I'm honest, I haven't thought about this scenario so far because it was such a difficult summer and we had to speak about other things. There will be the time when we speak about the future.

"You also know how much I really rate Junior and Sam, how important they are for us. Also from their personality.

"When we speak about Junior, especially also the last game against Burnley, after a long travel, he also played a really good game.

"I was pleased with this and he's growing more and more, also into a leader role.

"He improves, also, his defensive skills. This is also what I like because he's outstanding in this league in going forward, you all know this, but also to be able to improve further on his defending behaviour.

"Sam, versatile player, he’s not playing each and every game at the moment, due to competition in his position, but we're all happy we have him. He can play different positions and is one of the most experienced players.

"We don't have many players who are this age. It's important."

Leeds United must look to tie Junior Firpo down to a new deal

Firpo was brought in for a considerable amount of money and to lose him for nothing would be painful.

His contributions on the pitch are another reason why it would be painful to lose him.

He contributes a considerable amount in the final third, recently registering an assist against Hull City, and has also won a sizeable percentage of his duels so far this season. He will want to build on that against Cardiff City this afternoon.

If they can get him tied down to a new deal, that would be a big boost.