Leeds United are scouring the market to find a replacement for Pascal Struijk with the Dutchman set to complete a £20m move to Brighton, and Juventus’ Lloyd Kelly has emerged as a target.
Struijk has decided against signing a new deal at Elland Road, with his current deal expiring next summer. It has given Leeds a decision to make; sell now, or keep him until his deal ends and he leaves on a free.
£20m for Struijk: The best of a bad situation?
After eight years, Struijk is leaving Leeds.
Ultimately, Leeds have made the right decision. Struijk is off to Brighton and he is set to complete a £20m move. Given Struijk joined Leeds as a teenager from Ajax in 2018, the £20m fee will arrive as pure profit.
But it leaves Leeds needing a left-footed centre-back. Ladislav Krejci has been strongly linked with Leeds after Wolves’ relegation, but another new name has emerged and that is Juventus defender Kelly.
Leeds told how much Lloyd Kelly will cost this summer
According to reports this week, Leeds have a ‘concrete interest’ in Kelly. The left-footed centre-back has impressed at Juventus since joining the Old Lady on loan from Newcastle in the January 2025 window.
He signed permanently for Juventus last summer and has enjoyed a brilliant season with the Serie A giants during 2025-26. But Juventus need to sell a few players this summer and Kelly could be a casualty.
Now, TuttoMercatoWeb say Leeds have been told how much Kelly will cost this summer. A fee of £26m will have to change hands to convince Juventus to sell – with Newcastle and Forest also interested.
Lloyd Kelly would be Leeds’ third most expensive signing ever
As things stand, Georginio Rutter remains Leeds’ record signing at a whopping £35.5m when the Frenchman joined Leeds from Hoffenheim in January 2023. Leeds sold him for a small profit at £40m.
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Leeds’ second biggest signing was a £27m deal for Rodrigo Moreno from Valencia, the first summer back after a 16-year wait for Premier League football. He lasted three years at Leeds; now in the Middle East.
Then there is a gap to £25m, which was spent on Dan James and Brenden Aaronson, two players who remain crucial to Leeds. Kelly’s £26m arrival would sit in between those two and Rodrigo’s transfer.
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