Leeds United need some firepower up front this summer. But good attackers don’t come cheap at all, especially Premier League-level attackers.
Leeds United can’t shop entirely in the bargain bin if they want to beat the drop next season. They need to splash the cash on some top, top players and Daniel Farke surely knows it.
So far we’ve seen Leeds spend £20million of their reported £150million budget: Jaka Bijol has joined Leeds United in a £15million move from Udinese whilst Sebastiaan Bornauw has joined from Wolfsburg in a £5million deal.
Earlier in the summer there were reports of Leeds readying big bids for players. One of them was Leonardo Balerdi at Marseille, where reports backed Leeds to make a £38million bid for Balerdi, though the French outfit proved determined to keep the centre-back.
So Leeds look prepared to break their £35.5million club record transfer. But with two centre-back signings already through the door, Farke may spend big on one or two attacking players now.
Liverpool are set to sell Harvey Elliott after stunning Euro U21s display
Harvey Elliott is only 22, yet he already has a Premier League title to his name, two League Cups, a UEFA Super Cup, a Club World Cup, and now two Euro U21s titles to his name. He won the Euro U21s again with England recently and he was named the Player of the Tournament, for what manager Lee Carsley called an ‘outstanding’ display.
The winger scored five in six despite playing a bit part role for Liverpool last season. Arne Slot handed the former Fulham man 18 Premier League appearances, though Elliott only started two of those, with just one goal to his name across the season.
Now, The Athletic are reporting that Elliott is up for sale at Liverpool. But the Reds want a staggering £40million for Elliott, and a buy-back clause, unless a team comes in with a £50million bid for the youngster.
Three reasons why Harvey Elliott would be a quality signing for Leeds United
Harvey Elliott can play across the frontline
Leeds’ attack is looking like it has a few gaps right now: on the right and down the middle, and Elliott can fill both of those slots with ease, even being able to play on the left although Dan James will be staying at Leeds United next season and filling that position.
The no.10 spot in particular is looking uncertain right now. Brenden Aaronson could be leaving Leeds United and Farke really doesn’t have an out and out no.10 to replace him with, with links to Gustavo Hamer and Emi Buendia persistent.
Leeds United’s Manor Solomon pursuit is up in the air
On the right, Manor Solomon shone for Leeds United last season. And Leeds want to sign Solomon on a permanent deal from Spurs, although he might be given a second chance in North London after the appointment of Thomas Frank.
It’s understood that Frank wants to take a look at Solomon in pre-season, and if he performs how he did for Leeds last time round then he might not be going anywhere. Elliott coming in though would be a perfect replacement, or even if he and Solomon come in then Farke would have two really good attacking players.
| Stat | Elliott in the Prem | Elliott in the Champ | Elliott in the UCL |
| Games | 94 | 41 | 14 |
| Goals | 5 | 7 | 5 |
| Assists | 13 | 11 | 0 |
Harvey Elliott is not just a signing for now, but for the future
Despite already having a wealth of experience, Elliott is still a prospect. He’d bring immediate quality to the Leeds side and if he performs well then he would rapidly become a very valuable asset that the 49ers could watch increase in value, and eventually sell on for a huge profit.
Everything about this potential signing makes sense. But it’s a steep price tag and there remains a lot more positions to bolster for Farke this summer, which might explain why he’s been cautious with the amount he’s spent on players so far this summer.
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