Leeds United transfers as January link 'set' to become free agent amid Borussia Dortmund interest
Leeds United have been freshly linked with a physically dominant defender they looked at in January.
Leeds United have been freshly linked with a January transfer window person of interest who is set to become a free agent this summer.
Danilo Doekhi emerged as a potential target for Leeds in the winter, with Sky Sports initially reporting on interest in the Union Berlin centre-back. The YEP’s understanding at the time was that while Elland Road recruitment chiefs looked at the defender, there was no further progress.
Since those links, Doekhi has continued to enjoy an ever-present role at Union Berlin, playing every Bundesliga minute this season and scoring an impressive five goals from centre-back. The 27-year-old has also continued to run down his contract at the Stadion An der Alten Försterei.
Doekhi’s deal in Berlin is set to expire this summer and on Wednesday morning Fabrizio Romano provided an update on the defender on X. According to Romano, the Dutchman is ‘set to leave’ Union Berlin as a free agent when the season ends, with interest in his signature increasing following an impressive 2025/26 campaign.
Leeds are once again named as a potential suitor for Doekhi but should they revisit any January interest, competition will be intense. Union Berlin’s Bundesliga rivals Borussia Dortmund are believed to be keen on the 6ft 3ins defender, as are a number of clubs in Saudi Arabia.
Who is Leeds United-linked Danilho Doekhi?
Doekhi was born in Rotterdam in 1998 and came through a youth-development pathway that is very popular in the Netherlands. After spending much of his childhood years at Excelsior, he was snapped up by Ajax and played for their youth side, Jong Ajax, during the same period as Pascal Struijk.
Like the current Leeds vice captain, Doekhi left the Dutch giant in 2018, joining Vitesse where he made the step up to senior football, playing 140 games across all competitions and often captaining the side. A 23-year-old Doekhi then joined Union Berlin in May 2022 and has gone on to play 134 games in all competitions, scoring 16 goals.
Now 27, Doekhi matches the profile of recent Elland Road recruitment. He stands at 6ft 3ins and is known for his physically-dominant approach to defending. The Dutchman is right-footed and can either play on the right or in the centre of a back three.
Leeds are relatively well-stocked in that area, with Joe Rodon and Jaka Bijol regular starters while versatile defender James Justin and squad player Sebastiaan Bornauw can also fill in. The uncertainty within Farke’s squad is much more on the other side, with Struijk the only naturally left-footed centre-back.
Struijk will enter the final 12 months of his Leeds deal this summer, a moment which always brings uncertainty, and so it feels more pertinent to be making plans to strengthen on that side of the back three. But as a free agent, Doekhi could provide a low-risk and low-cost squad building option.