Leeds United they enter the second half of the season in pretty good shape. Daniel Farke’s side are at the top of the championship rankingsthree points clear of Burnley and Sheffield United, and are unbeaten in seven games.
To ensure they can maintain that form between now and the summer and seal a return to the Premier LeagueThe Whites are reportedly preparing to attack the transfer market in January and have been linked with several big names.
It is among them Nico Elvedi from Borussia Monchengladbach and RC Lens defender Abdukodir Khusanovwho is also thought to attract interest from Manchester City, Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur.
In order to fund moves for these players, Leeds will need to raise some cash by selling some of their current crop. With that in mind, we’ve listed six players who could leave Elland Road this month.
1
Joe Gelhardt
Linked to: Rangers, Portsmouth, Stoke
Since joining Leeds in 2020 from Wigan Athletic, Joe Gelhardt has struggled for minutes at Elland Road as the years have gone by.
After making a respectable 22 appearances during his debut season at senior level, he made 19 the following year when he was sent out on loan to Sunderland.
In the 2023/24 season, after Leeds were relegated to the Championship, he made only 13 appearances, while this term he did not even collect 90 minutes.
Amid this ever-increasing lack of playing time, Gelhardt was heavily linked with a move away from Leeds before Christmas, with several clubs across Europe reportedly want to buy his services.
According to The Yorkshire Evening Post, Rangers, Portsmouth, Stoke City, Plymouth Argyle, Preston North End and two Belgian clubs were interested in a move for Gelhardt, with the winger himself open to the idea of extending his career at Elland Road.
2
Patrick Bamford
Linked to: Genoa, Wrexham
Just a few years ago Patrick Bamford set the Premier League on fire, scoring 17 goals to help Leeds finish an impressive ninth in the 2020/21 season. These days, the 31-year-old is lucky if he gets called up from the bench.
Bamford hasn’t started a Championship game all season for Leeds and has managed just 123 minutes from the bench, meaning that more often than not, he’s left to watch the action from the sidelines.
According to TEAMtalk, Genoa and Wrexham are ready to offer Bamford an escape route from Elland Road in January, with two teams monitoring his situation. Football Insider previously reported in October that Bamford also wants to leave.
3
Pascal Struijk
Linked to: Tottenham
Back in July, Tottenham Hotspur rewarded one of Leeds’ stars from last season in the form of Archie Gray, s A fee of £30 million just too good to turn down. And according to reports in late December, the Spurs plan to swooping in for another of Leeds’ stars in Pascal Struijk.
Transfer expert Graeme Bailey said: “Struijk is coming into his best season and he’s really been under the radar of a lot of people – not Leeds fans – but he’s very often on the radar of a number of Premier League clubs. He’s real quality and I’m told Tottenham among those checking him out.”
However, Bailey added that Leeds do not want to lose the 25-year-old, who has started all but one of their 25 Championship games this season, and are ready to offer him a new contract.
“Clearly, Leeds want him to stay and will look to tie him down to a new contract, but his long-term stay will be dictated by Leeds’ return to the Premier League.”
4
Illan Meslier
Linked with: Arsenal, Man Utd
According to a recent report from TEAMtalk over the past few weeks, Manchester United have revived theirs interest in Leeds United goalkeeper Illan Meslier.
The Frenchman was a previous target for the Red Devils before they decided to sign Andre Onan from Inter in the summer of 2023.
Arsenal are also believed to be interested in the goalkeeper potentially becoming their No.2, with Mikel Arteta thought to be happy with David Raya’s role in the Gunners’ squad.
United’s No. 2, Altay Bayindir, who also joined the club in the summer of 2023 alongside Onan from Fenerbahce, struggled when handed this tenure and according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, he could be sold in January.
It’s easy to see why United want Meslier. He has kept 14 clean sheets in 25 league games this season.
5
Maximilian Wober
Linked to: RB Salzburg
Maximilian Wober joined Leeds from RB Salzburg for £11m in January 2023, but was shipped out to German side Borussia Monchengladbach barely six months later. Since returning to Elland Road this summer, he has struggled to get game time, making just one Championship start all term – mainly due to injury.
According to the Austrian newspaper Kurier, reported by Sport Witness, Salzburg is now wants to bring him back to the Red Bull Arena this month.
Salzburg director Rouven Schroder hinted at the possibility of signing Wober (and Feyenoord’s Gernot Trauner) back in January, saying: “They are two very good players. We have a young squad, so experienced players are of course exciting. But it’s a lot of points to be right, and we will carefully examine the transfers.”
6
Junior Firpo
Linked to: Real Betis
The future of Leeds Junior Firp They seem to be banking on them getting promoted to the Premier League at the end of the season, according to Football Insider, do that and he’ll stay, but it doesn’t work out and he’s expected to leave.
Now in the final six months of his contract at Elland Road, Firpo, a former Barcelona player, is free to talk to new clubs and is reportedly a target for Real Betis, another of his former clubs.
TEAMtalk reported that with the 28-year-old defender’s future “unsettled” at the moment, Betis are “leading the chase” for his signature. If he were to rejoin Betis, he would be reunited with two of his former Leeds team-mates, with Marco Roca and Diego Llorente set to turn out for La Liga.
