Leeds United Jaka Bijol transfer update and Whites feeling despite reported rival interest
Leeds United are hopeful of getting a transfer deal done for a centre-back target over the next week.
The Whites are positive about their chances of landing Udinese defender Jaka Bijol, despite reports of rival Premier League interest. Suggestions that Newcastle United are keen to land the Slovenian international emerged on Monday morning and tally with the fact that the Magpies are in the market for a central defender this summer. Sky Sport have reported that Newcastle, who can offer Champions League football, have entered the race for Bijol.
But Elland Road sources feel positive about the possibility of completing a deal. The YEP reported last week that the Serie A club are willing to accept £17m for the 26-year-old, for whom Udinese will owe a percentage of a sale to his former club CSKA Moscow.
A departure from Dacia Arena seems inevitable for Bijol this summer and he is believed to have already said his farewells to team-mates. Personal terms are not thought to be an issue for the defender and Leeds United and a deal now appears contingent only on the two clubs coming to an agreement.
Leeds United done deal
Leeds have already completed their first signing of the summer with the arrival of free agent Lukas Nmecha. The striker's contract runs out at Bundesliga side Wolfsburg at the end of this month and he will become a Leeds player officially on July 1. Nmecha, whose last season was interrupted by injury, signed a two-year deal at Elland Road and will bolster Daniel Farke's attacking options. As first reported by the YEP Leeds will remain in the market for another centre forward, with Nmecha being brought in as a squad player to compete for a place rather than as a first-choice starter.
Transfer chiefs at Leeds plan to strengthen the core of Farke's team and have pinpointed physicality, in various senses, as key to this summer's recruitment work. Bijol's 6ft 4ins frame fits the bill as they seek to be solid at defending set-pieces and attacking them at the other end, while fellow Leeds target Habib Diarra - seen as a less likely capture than a number of other midfield options - would bring intensity with his ball carrying and acceleration. Nmecha also carries a big presence.
Leeds have drawn up shortlists for each position and from a list of between five to 10 players that they like, one or two will be highlighted as priority signings. But there are also players described by decision makers as 'reach' targets who could make a real difference to the club's survival battle but whose availability might be less certain. Diarra is seen as one of those.