Udinese send heart-warming message to Jaka Bijol after £15m Leeds United transfer confirmed
Leeds United welcomed their second summer signing through the door on Monday.
Udinese have wished Jaka Bijol best of luck in a heart-warming goodbye message, following his transfer to Leeds United.
Bijol’s move to Elland Road was finally confirmed on Monday evening after Leeds and Udinese agreed a £15million fee, with the Slovenian centre-back putting pen to paper on a five-year contract. Personal terms and medical tests had already been completed before club-to-club talks came to a conclusion, with a deal agreed ahead of the weekend and all paperwork completed on the day of the announcement.
The 26-year-old spent three full seasons at Udinese and played 90 Serie A games, at points captaining the Italian outfit as one of their more experienced players. And he was evidently valued at Stadio Friuli, with a heart-warming goodbye message sent following confirmation of his switch to Elland Road.
In a post on Instagram, Udinese wrote: “Jaka Bijol bids farewell to Udinese and joins Leeds United. Over 3 seasons, he made 95 appearances, scored 5 goals, and showed great professionalism. Thank you Jaka, and best of luck on this new journey!”
Jaka Bijol ready for Premier League challenge with Leeds United
Leeds become Bijol’s fifth club and the Premier League will soon become his fifth division, with a career spanning across Slovenia, Russia, Germany, Italy and now England. The towering defender has regularly spoken of his desire to make that step up to the top level and after his move was confirmed on Monday, admitted he will give everything for the biggest challenge of his career.
“Maybe the biggest one [challenge] of my career so far, but I'm ready for it,” he told LUTV. “I work for it and that's why I'm here, because it's a big challenge for everyone. It's a big challenge for me, for the club, and we're getting ready for it together. I think the club and myself are ready for the Premier League.
“I can promise that I will give everything, that I will give everything in every training as well to be ready for the first game of the season and then just go from there. I watched Premier League through the years. For sure there's been some ups and downs [for Leeds] in the last years, some Premier League, some Championship. Next year we're ready again for the Premier League and let's hope for the best. The first step in the next year [is] that you stay there, that you improve year by year, maybe game by game, even. And it's going to take maybe some games to see the level and to see where we are as a team. But for sure this is the main goal to be a regular team in the Premier League."
Bijol is expected to join up with his new teammates next month, with Leeds returning for pre-season testing ahead of their July 19 friendly against Manchester United in Sweden. The Slovenian will get ample time to settle in with just shy of two months until the 2025/26 Premier League season starts on Monday, August 18.