Leeds United eye £10m profit on 'likely' exit as winger once dubbed 'next Lionel Messi' eyed

Leeds United look set for another long and busy summer as Daniel Farke plans for another gruelling Championship promotion push, following last month’s heart-breaking 1-0 play-off final defeat against Southampton at Wembley. The summer transfer window opens in less than one week and Friday saw the club’s long-awaited retained list finally published, with the likes of Ian Poveda, Lewis Bate and Charlie Allen among those moving on.

With this season’s on-loan players returning to parent clubs and those who left temporarily last summer returning, United’s transfer state of play will become clearer over the next few weeks but those in charge at Elland Road will already have started work on recruiting for another promotion push. There will also be some tough decisions made on outgoings, however, and the YEP has rounded up some of the latest stories surrounding the club.

Gruev price-tag

Leeds will hope to make a decent profit on Ilia Gruev with reports suggesting they will demand £15million, therefore tripling the £5m they spent on him less than one year ago. TEAMtalk reports that Gruev is among those ‘likely’ to be sold this summer, having attracted interest from a number of Bundesliga clubs.

Among those thought to be keeping a close eye on Gruev are Borussia Dortmund, who were beaten by Real Madrid in the Champions League final last weekend. The German outfit reportedly sent transfer chief Sven Mislintat to watch the Bulgarian during last month’s play-off final defeat against Southampton, while other scouts were also thought to be present and watching him specifically.

After a stuttering start to life in Leeds, Gruev has become one of Farke’s first-team regulars in central midfield and would have started every game from mid-January, were it not for an injury picked up during the March international break. But chairman Paraag Marathe has already admitted sales will be necessary to remain compliant with profitability and sustainability rules (PSR), with this most recent report suggesting Gruev will be a likely route to banking profit.

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Dembele ‘interest’

Leeds have been named as one of 10 English clubs to hold an interest in former Celtic wonderkid Karamoko Dembele. The Blackpool Gazette reports that a host of clubs from the Premier League and Championship are eyeing a possible loan move for the winger, who returned to Ligue 1 outfit Brest after spending the last year at Blackpool.

Dembele got his first taste of regular senior football with Blackpool this season, registering eight goals and 13 assists in 39 League One appearances. The 21-year-old has been on Brest’s books since 2022, having broken through the academy ranks at Celtic where he made his first-team debut aged 16 and was dubbed the ‘next Lionel Messi’ after representing the under-20s aged just 13.

Sheffield Wednesday are said to have made an enquiry about taking the England youth international on loan but it is unclear whether Brest are willing to do a deal. Alongside Leeds, the report also names Everton, Nottingham Forest, West Ham, Fulham, Brentford, Leicester City, Southampton and Middlesbrough.