£40m transfer, hidden gem and multiple bids – Leeds United’s biggest transfer jobs this summer

Leeds United are set for a busy summer as the club ramps up their preparations for the new season. The schedules have now been announced, the route back to the Premier League is set and the start of pre-season training is almost upon us.

What has, for the most part, been a relatively quiet summer so far is set to change as the focus quickly shifts and attention becomes even greater on who stays, who goes and who arrives at Elland Road for the new campaign. With the European Championships underway, there are a number of targets and even a Leeds player in Rasmus Kristensen whose moves could be pushed later in the transfer window.

While that may be the case, there are still plenty of deals that can be made and need to be sorted out, with the looming deadline for the latest profit and sustainability rules to be met and the small matter of several transfer fees from years previous ones that need to be paid.

With that in mind, we’ve looked at what the big decisions will be in this window for Leeds and the things the club need to do to ensure it’s a successful summer on the transfer front.

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Summerville the key to it all

In a summer that could yet see Archie Gray move in what would be the biggest and most disappointing blow for Leeds, Crysencio Summerville’s future is still most important because of the ripple effect on who has it. Gray and possibly Wilfried Gnonto and Ilia Gruev could leave, but Summerville’s exit is the only one that comes close to happening in the next two weeks.

Brighton have opened talks and this is a significant step forward than any other player on Leeds’ books. The Championship Player of the Year will also receive the biggest transfer fee Leeds can receive this summer. To allow the board and Daniel Farke to spend that transfer revenue wisely, Leeds need a relatively quick resolution to this transfer saga.

There has been talk of £40million for the Dutchman, but it seems unlikely that Leeds will pay that much for Summerville. But whether it’s £30m or a figure from either side, securing that figure at the start of the summer allows Leeds to rebuild with some certainty about the kind of money they have to spend.

A slow start to last season is ultimately what cost the side automatic promotion, and getting key business done at the start of the summer will go some way to ensuring that doesn’t happen again.

Quality discount

Losing a player of Summerville’s caliber will be hard to replace, while Jack Harrison won’t be back, adding to a further lack of options. If he stays, Gnonto can play left wing with Dan James on the right, ensuring Leeds boast attacking options, but behind them the quality needs to be there. With Joe Rodon gone and no certainty of his return, Leeds need to ensure they don’t just add bulk to the squad this summer, they add real quality.

There is a certain expectation Leeds’ best XI will be up there with anyone else in the Championship next season, regardless of the name on the team sheet, but that quality needs to run much deeper and the transfer window needs to reflect that . Leeds will benefit from the addition of experience and legs. It’s likely to be a summer full of new arrivals, but it needs to be a summer that also showcases genuine quality.

Finding a hidden gem

Summerville looked nothing like the player he is now when he arrived from Feyenoord four years ago. It took patience for the 22-year-old to reach the standards he can now achieve with some regularity, but you can afford that moment when you snap up a relative unknown on the cheap. Leeds could do very well with that kind of hidden gem signing this summer, but one who could really push the first XI.

If ever there was a summer where surprises are almost guaranteed, this might be it. The question is, however, who and in what positions could these surprises appear? Leeds need reinforcements across the board, but with the Red Bull association now in place, could we see a hidden gem arrive from one of their clubs?

If last season was the one where Gray went from unknown outside of Leeds to Championship star, who could the 2025 version be?