As Leeds United prepare for the final four make-or-break games of a gruelling Championship season, all eyes at Elland Road remain very much fixed on on-field matters for the time being.
Yet, while Daniel Farke will be thinking about nothing else but Oxford United in Friday’s trip to the Kassam Stadium – Will Vaulks’ fearsome long throws, in particular, may keep the Leeds boss up at night – there are others at Elland Road who will busy be drawing up plans for the end of May and beyond.
Of course, with Leeds United’s fate uncertain, so too is their transfer budget.
More expensive targets sitting in one column – those who require Premier League riches – and more affordable ones drawn up in case of disaster. Krasnodar captain Edouard Spertsyan is keen on a move to Leeds, but only if top-flight football returns to West Yorkshire.
Other, less headline grabbing targets – Leeds are linked with West Brom’s Grady Diangana as his contract runs down – feel like a club wisely reluctant at this stage to consider promotion a ‘done deal’.
Exactly which column Pavel Sulc falls into, however, is up for debate. Chances are, he falls more into the Spertsyan side than the Diangana one.
Pavel Sulc’s agent speaks out as Leeds United join Man City and Borussia Dortmund
Because, according to reports, Sulc has admirers at Manchester City and Aston Villa, not to mention Tottenham Hotspur and Borussia Dortmund.
So while the Viktoria Plzen talisman feels affordable even for a Championship club at a reported £8 million, Leeds would not exactly be negotiating from a position of strength if promotion somehow slips through their grasp.
Sulc’s agent, David Nehoda, confirms that talks have taken place with one German club. Albeit, he stops short of confirming if the club in question is in fact Dortmund.
The 24-year-old Czech Republic international is, however, expected to leave his homeland for one of Europe’s major leagues sooner rather than later. And that opens the door to a Leeds side who can potentially go eight points clear of third on Friday night in Oxfordshire.
“I think he won’t move to Slavia [Prague, Czech rivals] because we’ve been in contact with them for a long time and Pavel has always said that he would rather go abroad,” the agent explains on the Nosici Vody podcast.
“Even during this period, the situation is stable. So I assume that if an offer comes from abroad that meets the expectations of the Plzen club, he will go abroad.
“A lot of clubs have known about him for a long time. It’s just that there hasn’t been an offer yet that would meet Plzen’s requirements.
“I am now in contact with a German Bundesliga club. It is at the stage of negotiating the price and possibilities. We are only at the beginning of the period when clubs will consider strengthening the squad.”
Leeds could land Czech Republic international for a bargain £8m
Nehoda does not confirm exactly the sort of fee Viktoria Plzen are looking for. He does admit, however, that a mooted sum of around £8 million is a pretty good ‘guide’.
The Leeds-linked Pavel Sulc idolises Wayne Rooney. And, as he fired a thumping finish into the Lazio net during Viktoria Plzen’s Europa League last-16 clash with the Serie A giants, Sulc channeled the Manchester United legend while taking his tally to the season to sixteen.
“Every time I see him play, I’m proud and shocked at the same time,” former Viktoria Plzen team-mate Joel Kayamba says of Sulc, the attacking midfielder adding 12 assists to his 16 goals.
“I remember when [people] laughed at him, saying he couldn’t even score an empty goal. But look at him now! He didn’t give up, he worked hard and I believe he can go far.”
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