Jaka Bijol is set to sign on the dotted line in the next few hours with the central defender currently at Thorp Arch undergoing a medical ahead of his Leeds United move – to the delight of supporters.
An £18.75m fee has been agreed with Serie A side Udinese. The 63-time Slovenia international is set to join the Yorkshire side on a long-term contract and become the club’s second signing of the summer.
Bijol arrives with Leeds needing a centre-back. Ethan Ampadu has had to fill in when Pascal Struijk is injured, which has been often under Daniel Farke. Max Wober has been told he will be sold by Leeds.
Leeds then, have moved to improve the spine of the side in Bijol. While fans will be delighted and Leeds feel they may have pulled off a bit of a coup in Bijol, one youngster will now be questioning his future.
James Debayo is still yet to sign Leeds United contract
Debayo, who turns 20 next month, made his Leeds debut this season. But while he was a regular on the bench, he only managed two senior appearances. Leeds confirmed their retained list for 24-25 on May 17.
Within the list, the club confirmed that new terms had been offered to Debayo. But since then, there has not been any confirmation of Debayo putting pen to paper on a new contract with Leeds this summer.
Now, a report from Leeds Live says that Debayo is still yet to sign on the dotted line. With a deal on the table for more than a month now, it is clear that Debayo is having second thoughts about staying.
If Debayo stays at Leeds, where is he in centre-back ranking?
Without doubt, Rodon and Bijol will start the new season as a new-look centre-back pairing. It will see Pascal Struijk drop to the bench, potentially offering cover at left-back as well as the middle of defence.
With Wober leaving the club, next in line could well be Debayo but the chances are that if two of the three names listed are unavailable, Ampadu drops in again before Daniel Farke turns to Debayo.
Right now, a loan deal would be perfect for the London-born talent and Leeds will want to keep him, given The Whites beat Manchester United and Chelsea to Debayo’s signature when he signed in 2021.
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