adminLeeds United are already planning aggressively for the summer transfer window as Daniel Farke looks to strengthen the squad after guiding the club close to Premier League survival.
Reports in England and Portugal claim Leeds are pushing to complete a deal for Japanese midfielder Hidemasa Morita, with the player said to be enthusiastic about the move to Elland Road once survival is mathematically confirmed.
The Whites are also being linked with several attacking reinforcements as the club prepares for a major rebuild ahead of next season.
Leeds have quietly become one of the most active clubs in the market, with the 49ers ownership group expected to back Farke heavily after the team’s strong performances during the second half of the season.
Despite concerns earlier in the campaign, Leeds now sit comfortably above the relegation zone and could officially secure safety this week.
Transfer rumours surrounding names like Hayden Hackney and Lois Openda continue to grow as supporters look ahead to what could be one of the club’s biggest summers in recent years.
Football Insider exclusively revealed last month that Leeds are keen to sign Openda in a loan-to-buy deal this summer.
The Whites are keen to add competition to their front-line, with the 26-year-old capable of appearing on the wing or through the middle.
The forward signed for RB Leipzig in 2023 in a big-money move from RC Lens, after he had netted 21 goals in Ligue 1.
Openda’s goal-scoring exploits continued in the Bundesliga, with the Belgian bagging 28 across all competitions in his first season and 13 in his second.
Few predicted the fall-off that the 26-year-old has experienced in Serie A, but Juventus are not willing to give him the chance of another season
According to Tutto Mercato Web, Openda will be sold this summer, but the feeling at Juventus is that a loan exit is the best that the Italian outfit can hope for.
Openda was an extremely dangerous forward in the Bundesliga, and the striker could well rediscover that form in the Premier League.
At least that is what the likes of Leeds are hoping, as they assess the risks behind a loan move for the forward.
Openda made his debut for Belgium in 2022, scoring against Poland in the Nations League. Speaking in 2024, he described how Roberto Martinez’s assistant at the time and Arsenal legend, Thierry Henry, guided him to the moment
“Before my first international match against Poland, Thierry Henry showed me a few tricks and told me how I should play with Hazard on the pitch,” he said.
“Five minutes later I had scored my first goal. It was incredible. My mother, my brother and everyone else were incredibly happy.”
Leeds will hope that Openda has remembered some of those tricks to replicate some of Henry’s finest moments in the Premier League.
Abdulhafiz Teslim
admin
