Leeds 'can move now' for new signings at Elland Road | OneFootball

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Leeds United are now able to move forwards with their transfer business seeing as they have cleared out their squad in the past couple of weeks, Ben Jacobs exclusively told GIVEMESPORT.

In order to bounce back up to the Premier League at the first time of asking, those of a Leeds persuasion will be wanting to follow up Ethan Ampadu’s signing with some solid deals.

Leeds United transfer news - latest

The club’s relegation-worthy 2022/23 season always meant a clear-out was imminent. Those players in the ranks were always going to be looking for another challenge as they know full well they are wasted in England’s second-tier.

Fan favourite Rodrigo packed his bags to join the litany of Premier League players heading to the Middle East after joining Qatari side Al Rayyan for an undisclosed fee, BBC Sport reports.

Now 32, the Spaniard signed from Valencia for a club-record £26m in 2020 and enjoyed a club-high 15-goal campaign in 2022/23, which added to his eventual tally of 28 goals for the newly relegated side.

Tyler Roberts, 24, spent last season on loan at Queen Park Rangers but has opted to join Birmingham City on a permanent basis upon his return to Elland Road, but the majority of the club’s departing players are leaving on loan spells.

This list includes Marco Roca, Rasmus Kristensen, Robin Koch and Diego Llorente, who all believe a season-long stint elsewhere would better their playing careers rather than staying at Leeds, especially off the back of their demotion to the Championship.

What did Ben Jacobs say about Leeds United and their current situation?

On the club’s transfer strategy moving forwards, Jacobs mentioned that they are now able to move on from their standstill given they have offloaded a series of players, whether that be permanently or just loan spells.

Speaking exclusively to GIVEMESPORT, he said: “Yeah, I think Leeds can move now. And obviously, they’ve had a bit of a mass exodus through a mixture of sales and loans, and now they need to build a squad capable of promotion to the Premier League.”

What next for Leeds United?

Leeds’ aforementioned mass exodus leaves the club with both space and funds to utilise as they look to bolster their squad before the window slams shut.

Ampadu, who the Championship side signed for £7m from Chelsea, per BBC Sport, is the club’s first summer signing and is – hopefully for the Elland Road faithful – a sign of the positivity to come.

German publication BILD have claimed that Leeds are gearing up to offer Bayern Munich goalkeeper Alexander Nubel an attractive package to join them in England, while former Liverpool centre-forward Divock Origi is also of interest, according to Sport Mediaset (via SportsWitness).

Whether those names mentioned would be willing to make a switch to the Championship is unlikely.

Regardless, it’s clear that Leeds will need to make more acquisitions of a decent calibre this summer if they are serious in their bid for automatic promotion back to the Premier League.

However, Daily Express journalist Ryan Taylor reported that Wilfried Gnonto and Jack Harrison, who are two of the club’s most prized assets, were linked with moves away even before the club succumbed to the drop.

Keeping hold of these two while acquiring a host of long-term signings would be the perfect for Leeds in their bid to regain their status as a top flight outfit.