Leeds United manager Daniel Farke is out to strengthen his squad this summer, and that poses a lot of uncertainty for USMNT man Brenden Aaronson.
Leeds United dominated the Championship last season. Along with Burnley, no team really ended up anywhere near the two, with Sheffield United eventually finishing in 3rd and 10 points behind the two.
But there were certainly a few weak spots in the team and many fans would say that Brenden Aaronson was certainly one of them.
Leeds United fans were critical of Aaronson throughout the campaign, though Daniel Farke showed a lot of faith in the former Red Bull Salzburg man, 24, who went on to feature in all 46 of Leeds’ Championship games, scoring nine and assisting two.
Going into the summer, Leeds United have been told they need to upgrade Aaronson if they want to make a go of it in the Premier League next season, and Farke looks as though he’s about to do just that.
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Alex Crook shares key update on Leeds United transfer target James McAtee
One of the many names linked with Leeds this summer is James McAtee. Leeds United are interested in signing McAtee, 22, from Man City this summer, having previously tried to sign the England U21s skipper on loan during the January transfer window.
But there remains an air of uncertainty around his future. Despite playing a bit part role last season, starting just three times in the Premier League throughout the whole campaign, Pep Guardiola seems keen on keeping McAtee at the club beyond this summer. The £25million-rated McAtee is currently under contract until the summer of 2026.
Speaking on talkSPORT, journalist Alex Crook has now revealed the latest on McAtee. He says: “One player not with Manchester City at the Club World Cup is James McAtee.
“He’s opted to captain the England U21s at the European Championships instead. James McAtee, I’m told, is stalling on the offer of a new contract at Manchester City and it is Pep Guardiola’s policy that if a player doesn’t want to be here, if he wants to move – we saw it with Kyle Walker, when he was allowed to go to Milan on loan – he will not stand in a player’s way.
“So I think James McAtee could well be heading for the exit this summer. Bayer Leverkusen, now managed by the former Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag, are one of the clubs showing interest in him. He’s a possible successor for Florian Wirtz, who of course, is heading to Liverpool.”
The latest on Brenden Aaronson’s Leeds United future
Leeds paid £25million to sign Aaronson back in 2022. He’s made 87 total appearances, scoring 10 and assisting five more, in what’s certainly been a very mixed spell at Elland Road for the USMNT man.
And following promotion, it’s been revealed that Aaronson could be sold by Leeds United this summer. It’s also understood that Aaronson is himself weighing up his options with interest from the continent.
This month, Aaronson struggled in USMNT’s defeat against Switzerland but pulled it back with a goal in a 5-0 win over Trinidad & Tobago, and Aaronson could well view these games as a chance to put himself in the shop window for next season.
With Farke looking set to spend big this summer, shown by a £32million bid for Rodrigo Muniz at Fulham having been rejected, and a £19million deal for Jaka Bijol agreed, selling Aaronson could also make financial sense for the Whites.
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