Leeds United and Barcelona could be tangled in more than one transfer battle this summer, in what promises to be an exciting summer at Elland Road.
Leeds United have a busy summer ahead and already we’re seeing some exciting names linked. Daniel Farke’s side are also rivalling some top teams for some top players too, showing how far they’ve come in the last couple of years.
One player who could be leaving though is Junior Firpo. There’s even rumours that Firpo could return to Barcelona this summer with his contract set to expire at Elland Road, in what would certainly be a shock return.
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Leeds United have offered Firpo a new contract but the lure of the Nou Camp might be enough to sway any player. And Firpo would only need to ask former Leeds United star Raphinha how good the going is at Barca right now, with the attacker flourishing in Spain.
And Firpo isn’t the only potential transfer blow that Barcelona could land on Leeds United, with the Catalan giants now eyeing up one of Farke’s summer transfer targets.
Barcelona send scouts to watch Leeds United transfer target Jhon Lucumi
Leeds United are interested in signing John Lucumi this summer. The Bologna defender, who’s valued at £11million with his contract set to expire in the summer of 2026, was reported to have been scouted by Leeds United and a number of other Premier League sides earlier in the month.
Now though, journalist Nicolo Schira has revealed on X that Barcelona had sent scouts to watch Lucumi in action the following week. Bologna beat AC Milan in the Coppa Italia final to win the title for the first time in 51 years and Barca had scouts at that very game.
In 2024/25, Colombian centre-back Lucumi has featured 31 times in Serie for Bologna, who currently sit in 8th place of the table with one game left to play.
The latest on Leeds United’s search for a new centre-back this summer
Centre-back is certainly a priority position for Leeds United this summer. But so far Farke hasn’t been linked with many of them, with more full-backs and attacking players reportedly on his shortlist.
One centre-back mentioned though is Leonardo Balerdi. But Marseille are determined to keep Balerdi this summer after qualifying for the Champions League ahead of next season, though Balerdi can reportedly leave for what would be a Leeds club record fee of £38million.
Lucumi is the other centre-back mentioned alongside a possible move to Elland Road. But with Barcelona and so many other teams in the running, it looks like yet another tricky transfer pursuit for the Whites.
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