Sebastiaan Bornauw unwittingly highlights huge Leeds United transfer strength as timeline revealed
Leeds United confirmed the defender’s arrival on Tuesday but interest was present long before.
New Leeds United signing Sebastiaan Bornauw watched last season’s Championship promotion race with a keen eye after being informed of Elland Road interest long before summer.
Bornauw became Leeds’ third signing of this window on Tuesday, with the 26-year-old Belgian international putting pen to paper on a four-year contract. The YEP exclusively reported on interest in the VfL Wolfsburg centre-back just over 24 hours prior and Elland Road chiefs moved quickly to secure a £5.1million deal, following Jaka Bijol’s £15million move from Udinese last month.
But it appears Leeds might have had this particular move in the works for much longer, with Bornauw admitting early interest gave him ample opportunity to follow his future club from afar. Indeed, the 6ft 3ins defender was watching Daniel Farke’s side fight for promotion and the Championship title since January.
“I saw a lot of games because the interest was quite early,” Bornauw told LUTV after his move was confirmed. “So, from the end of January, I tried to see every game. I’ve followed the second half of the season, I know Leeds are a big, traditional, historic club.”
Bornauw will have seen the highs and lows of his new club during that period, with Leeds enjoying an incredible pair of comeback victories over Sunderland and Sheffield United before winning one of the following six matches. He is likely to have seen the memorable celebrations that followed promotion and the title triumph, with all prospective signings shown videos of those scenes.
Bornauw admission highlights Leeds United transfer strength
But his admission of interest as far back as January highlights Leeds’ ability to keep transfer interest under wraps. Speculation has been endless since the summer window opened last month but for large parts, genuine targets have been kept quiet until the point at which either a bid is made or final touches are being put on a move.
Bornauw’s move was officially confirmed one day after the YEP first named him as a target, with fellow Wolfsburg exit Lukas Nmecha pictured as a Leeds player just hours after reports of his imminent move. Bijol’s transfer from Udinese was a little more drawn out but 49ers Enterprises continue to do an excellent job keeping leaks to a minimum.
As for Bornauw, he joins Nmecha and Bijol in the group of summer signings who are both over 6ft and 26-years-old, a suggestion Leeds are prioritising physicality and experience in this early part of the window. And the towering defender outlined what he plans to bring to Farke’s squad for their Premier League return.
“I'm quite an aggressive defender, I would say,” the Belgian explained. “I'm strong. I like duels and I think that’s pretty English. I think as a centre-back, I'm dangerous in front of the goal, I like set pieces, offensive set pieces. So that's what I think my game is, I would say.”
Bornauw is expected to join up with his new teammates later this month when Leeds return for pre-season, with their first summer friendly against Manchester United on July 19. Further meetings with Villarreal and AC Milan will give fans a chance to see their newest additions in action before the 2025/26 Premier League campaign kicks off in August.