Leeds United can repeat Ao Tanaka transfer trick with 35 players including Newcastle & Liverpool favourites

Leeds United won’t be afraid to spend big money this summer and a £22million offer for RC Strasbourg Alsace midfielder Habib Diarra proves as much. Those are the kinds of sums Elland Road chiefs will have to stump up if they want to significantly improve Daniel Farke’s squad, with a move for Udinese defender Jaka Bijol expected to cost around as much.

But under 49ers Enterprises, Leeds have also been known to use contract uncertainty to their advantage with the likes of Ao Tanaka and Jayden Bogle coming at cut-price fees due to being in the final year of their respective deals at Fortuna Dusseldorf and Sheffield United. Reports ahead of this summer suggest that approach could continue, with the likes of Nick Pope, Sean Longstaff and Hidemasa Morita in a similar situation.

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Across the Premier League and Europe, there are a huge number of top-level players due to enter the final 12 months of their contracts, therefore opening up the possibility of a discount deal. Below, the YEP takes a look at 35 including some already linked with interest from Elland Road, with market values courtesy of Transfermarkt.