Leeds United favourite provides inside track on contract talks after four-year deal signed in June

Leeds United captain Ethan Ampadu never thought to entertain outside transfer interest before signing his new contract.

Ampadu put pen to paper on a new four-year deal back in June, keeping him at Elland Road until 2030. The Welshman had just come off the back of an outstanding first season back in the Premier League with Leeds in which he started 35 of 38 games - more than any other member of Daniel Farke’s squad.

Such a season was always going to attract transfer interest and had he become available, Ampadu would surely have had plenty of Premier League suitors. But leaving Elland Road never felt like an option for the combative midfielder, whose new contract killed any speculation before it had a chance to surface.

“Everyone could always get to a point where they might have some interest,” Ampadu told The Athletic. “But I wanted to renew here. I am very excited about where this club could go. I was focused on that rather than taking an interest in what else was out there.

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“It was never a forced conversation. It’s always quite an open dialogue. I know how the manager feels, how the owners feel. I like to think they know my vision as well and it’s all pretty aligned. When you make a big decision you have to weigh up everything. But it was a good, healthy conversation.”

Ampadu was the first signing under owners 49ers Enterprises following their full takeover in 2023 and has been at the core of Farke’s plans ever since. He was promoted to captain following Liam Cooper’s exit in 2024 and when fit, has been virtually ever-present in the heart of midfield.

Promotion last year fuelled inevitable questions as to whether the 25-year-old could finally make that step up, having previously been part of a relegated Sheffield United outfit. Those questions were answered emphatically as Ampadu went toe-to-toe with midfielders worth at least 10-times his £7million price-tag.

“I’ve found somewhere and settled,” he added. “I’ve played my best football but I’m hopeful the next four or five years are going to be better than the previous three years. The owners and investors are pushing really hard to take the club back to the heights of European football.

“There’s a lot of work in progress and we still have so much more potential to give. Then we’ve also got a fanbase that wants to do that, so collectively it’s a really big thing.”