£15 million Leeds United star now ready to quit as Dortmund eye deal
Leeds United could lose another valuable member of their first team this summer, with manager Daniel Farke facing a potential Elland Road exodus after their Championship play-off final defeat to Southampton.
Leeds players who could leave after failed promotion bid
The Whites’ 1-0 defeat at Wembley means Leeds will be competing in England’s second tier yet again next term, despite looking like certainties to climb back up to the Premier League at one point last season.
Leeds are left to rue a real missed opportunity as they fell just short in a tight three-horse promotion race. Farke’s side were neck-and-neck with Ipswich Town and Leicester City in one of the most exciting Championship promotion races in years, but unfortunately for supporters, one team was destined to miss out.
“As you can imagine, it couldn’t be worse. We are suffering a lot in this moment,” said Farke on Leeds’ play-off final defeat.
“When you come so close after 90 points and a great play-off semi-final, it hurts a lot. It’s too early to come in with upbeat messages. You have to allow the players to be down but when you look at the bigger picture, there’s no need to dwell on this.
“It’s more important to take it as extra motivation. The supporters deserve a day to celebrate and we feel that pain today. We’re disappointed we could not send our fans back with something to cheer about and we’re not in the promised land.
“It’ll be difficult to come back stronger because we had 90 points this season.”
Ilia Gruev, who played a key role under Farke last season, may also be on the move.
Gruev ready to quit Leeds as Borussia Dortmund eye move
TEAMtalk has an update on this, and they claim Gruev is ready to leave Leeds this summer after they couldn’t secure top-flight promotion.
The 24-year-old midfielder, who played 32 Championship matches, commands a £15 million price tag for any interested side – and it is believed that Borussia Dortmund are firmly in the mix to do a deal.
“The other player I really like in the Leeds team that no one really talks about and that’s the Bulgaria lad, Ilia Gruev,” said former EFL star Adrian Clarke.
Staying in the Championship will have grave consequences in the summer, as Leeds are now forced to potentially sell star players. It is now very unclear whether they can agree to sign mainstay defender Joe Rodon on a permanent deal, while Crysencio Summerville is thought to be attracting interest from elite Premier League clubs.
