Leeds United have signed Gabriel Gudmundsson and chosen the left-back over at least five possible alternatives, Leeds United News have been exclusively told.
The summer transfer window looks set to heat up for Leeds United after the fourth signing of the window was confirmed on Tuesday, July 8.
Gabriel Gudmundsson has arrived in a £10.3m transfer from Lille, signing a four-year contract with the club.
Gudmundsson follows fellow defenders Jaka Bijol and Sebastiaan Bornauw as well as forward Lukas Nmecha to Yorkshire as Leeds prepare for their Premier League return.
Replacing Junior Firpo was a crucial task for Daniel Farke this summer, with the departed left-back playing an integral role last season as the Whites won the Championship title with 100 points.
Gudmundsson has been picked as that man but, understandably, Leeds considered several options to fill the position before settling on the Swede.
- Who is Gabriel Gudmundsson? Meet the attacking left-back Leeds United are ‘keen’ to replace Junior Firpo
Exclusive: The four left-back options Leeds United had other than Gabriel Gudmundsson
Leeds have been linked with a huge number of players in the transfer window and there’s still just shy of two months to go before deadline day.
A lot of the speculation has centred on left-back given Leeds’ clear need to sign one, with Firpo’s exit long expected before his release was finally confirmed in July.
Transfer expert Graeme Bailey has exclusively revealed to Leeds United News the options that Leeds had to choose from in the position before opting for Gudmundsson.
Bailey said: “Yeah, it’s interesting. Leeds had a lot of options there, [Eintracht Frankfurt’s Nathaniel] Brown. Archie Brown at Gent.
“They had a plethora of options to consider. [Aston Villa’s] Alex Moreno, [free agent] Aaron Cresswell.
“Gudmundsson’s good value. Again, a very solid player, he can improve a lot.
“So it makes sense that one.”
Bailey then added that he believes Leeds will ‘get two [signings] done by the weekend,’ while referencing Gudmundsson and Newcastle United midfielder Sean Longstaff.
Why Leeds United didn’t sign El Hadji Malick Diouf
As well as the four names mentioned above, Slavia Prague starlet El Hadji Malick Diouf was also on Leeds’ shortlist.
Diouf, along with another former target in Habib Diarra, shone in Senegal’s win over England in June, which impressed Leeds fans as they called for the club to sign the pair.
Slavia Prague manager Jindrich Trpisovsky had said he expects Diouf to leave, opening the door for a possible approach from Leeds.
However, just as they were with new Sunderland signing Diarra, Leeds appear to have been priced out of a move.
Slavia Prague reportedly wanted £21.6m for Diouf. Leeds United News understands that the price was deemed too expensive by the club, which has seen them opt for the cheaper option in Gudmundsson instead.
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