Daniel Farke and the 49ers are in search of more full-back depth before the end of the transfer window, with Leeds United News sources confirming the latest.
Following the captures of Sean Longstaff and Gabriel Gudmundsson, we exclusively revealed Leeds United would look to sign at least six more players.
Since then, they have added Anton Stach and Lucas Perri, bringing their total to seven new players this summer. However, a striker, a winger, a more attacking midfielder than Longstaff and Stach, and full-back cover are all still required.
There could be more than that if there are any surprise outgoings between now and then, too. The club have just under three weeks before their Premier League opener against Everton.
Leeds United are seriously considering Leicester City’s James Justin
With Isaac Schmidt allowed to head on loan to Werder Bremen if Farke is handed a replacement, full-back talk is very much on the agenda behind the scenes.
Of course, Leeds could sign just one more full-back to add to Gudmundsson, Jayden Bogle, and Sam Byram, but that would almost certainly require for the player to be comfortable on both flanks.
Byram and Schmidt have that quality, but Farke didn’t fancy the latter and the former turns 32 in the early months of the season. Therefore, Leeds United News sources have confirmed the club are looking to add further to their full-back department.
In spite of signing Gudmundsson and extending Byram’s contract for another year, a number of options are being considered by the 49ers, Adam Underwood and co.
But it’s been confirmed to us that a full-back who can operate on both sides is of interest to Leeds in the remaining weeks of the transfer window.
Right-footed duo Byram and Schmidt may well have been deployed at both left and right-back in their careers but Leeds want further top flight quality and experience.
It’s also been confirmed that Leicester City’s James Justin is of “serious interest” to the Whites, while other two-sided options are also being considered by the Elland Road hierarchy.
He is one of the primary targets featuring on their full-back shortlist that they are considering a move for, with the one-cap international into the final 12 months of his contract at the King Power Stadium.
Leeds have made the most of signing players of that nature ever since the 49ers bought the club back in 2023. A move would also allow Farke to green light Schmidt’s loan exit.
James Justin’s career stats so far and why Leeds are keen
Having recovered from an ACL back in 2021, the 27-year-old full-back has become a key player again in recent seasons with Leicester.
He ticks a number of boxes: standing at 6’0″, being in the final year of his contract, having the ability to cross and pass fairly comfortably off either foot, which also allows him to be versatile and feature frequently on both sides.
| Team | Appearances | Goals | Assists |
| Luton Town | 114 | 6 | 13 |
| Leicester City | 167 | 11 | 10 |
| England | 1 | 0 | 0 |
The rationale becomes clearer still given that he also has 99 Premier League appearances, while Justin is a peak-age player, and he used to be a regular set-piece taker back in his Luton Town days; that is something Leeds are desperate for more of.
Also, Justin almost has an even split between the full-back and wing-back positions, having featured only slightly more (122) on the right-hand side compared to the left (108), with the rest as a very occasional centre-back.
This is the last summer in which Leicester can sell, unless they agree a new deal with Justin. It’s safe to assume that they would consider a sale at a cut-price this summer following six years with the club.
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