Leeds United news: Whites ‘face fresh rival’ in midfielder chase after wrapping up £5m transfer

Leeds United are now preparing for a clash with Sheffield Wednesday as they look to make it back-to-back Championship wins.

The Whites suffered a shock cup defeat at the hands of Salford City during the week, but they managed to defeat Ipswich Town to get up and running before that. Attention now turns to a clash with Wednesday, but before that, the Whites will want to get their squad in order ahead of Friday night’s transfer deadline.

Here we round up all the latest transfer news and rumours surrounding Elland Road.

Tanaka blow

Leeds are set to fall short in their reported bid to land Ao Tanaka from Fortuna Dusseldorf.

Tanaka, who scored for Japan at the most recent World Cup, was said to be a midfield target of the Whites’, but Florian Plettenberg is now reporting that the player wants to stay in Bundesliga, and is keen to join Borussia Monchengladbach.

Plettenberg tweeted: “Excl. News Ao #Tanaka: @borussia wants him! The 24 y/o from @f95 is keen on the move. No agreements yet.”

Gruev signed

Leeds have paid a fee in the region of £5m to bring Bulgarian international midfielder Ilan Gruev to Elland Road from Werder Bremen.

The move is subject to international clearance and a work permit but Gruev’s arrival has been confirmed and the 23-year-old has signed a four-year contract with the Whites.

Gruev will bolster Daniel Farke’s midfield options and compete with Ethan Ampadu and Archie Gray for a start in the centre of the pitch. The defensive midfielder came through the ranks at Bremen and has been plying his trade in the senior side since December 2020.

A promotion to the Bundesliga and a successful relegation fight are among the highlights of Gruev’s time at Weser Stadium. He departs with 62 appearances to his name in all competitions.

Gyabi bid rejected

United have rejected a bid of up to £4m for teenage prospect Darko Gyabi but he could yet make a move before Friday’s deadline.

Ligue 2 outfit Valenciennes, currently 16th in the 20-side division, put together a proposal for the central midfielder but the Whites have turned it down. The French club are majority owned by Sport Republic, the ownership group of their Championship promotion rivals Southampton.

The YEP understands Leeds are, however, open to the idea of loaning Gyabi out for the season.

The England youth international arrived at Elland Road from Manchester City last summer in a £5m deal and made himself at home in the Under 21s, scoring twice and assisting three goals from a deep-lying midfield role. A first team breakthrough came in the form of a single Premier League appearance when he came off the bench with seven minutes remaining against Manchester City in a 3-1 defeat. Gyabi also featured once in both the FA Cup and EFL Cup and made three EFL Trophy appearances.