Leeds United head across Yorkshire to face Rotherham United in the Championship on Friday night as they look to move closer to the automatic promotion places.
A win for Daniel Farke’s team will put them five points behind Ipswich Town and Leicester City before they play their respective matches this weekend.
The Whites currently sit third in the league table and are on course to challenge for either an automatic promotion or play-off place as they go in search of an instant return to the Premier League.
Leeds were relegated from the top-flight at the end of last season and that led to a host of first-team players exiting Elland Road, either permanently or on loan, as the likes of Rodrigo, Tyler Adams, Jack Harrison, Marc Roca, Robin Koch, and Max Wober, among many others, moved on.
However, the club’s impressive form at Championship level so far may not prevent them from losing more of their star performers when the January transfer window comes around.
Other teams are reportedly eyeing up some of Farke’s top players ahead of the second half of the year and the Whites could lose some key talents at the start of 2024.
However, selling big assets could also provide funds for the German tactician to splash in the transfer market to bolster his side’s promotion push.
With this in mind, here are three players who could end up departing from Yorkshire in January and, in turn, fund a spending spree for Leeds.
1
Pascal Struijk
The towering central defender – Pascal Struijk – has enjoyed a terrific start to the 2023/24 campaign and has been a key figure at the back for Farke at Championship level, which has earned him interest from elsewhere.
Struijk has started 15 of the club’s 16 league matches this term and showcased his defensive skills – helping his team to keep six clean sheets.
The left-footed titan has made 6.9 ball recoveries per game and won 59% of his duels in total, which shows that the young gem is able to consistently win possession back for his side whilst also coming out on top in the majority of his physical battles.
He has also made zero errors that have directly led to a shot or goal for the opposition and is yet to concede a penalty. This highlights how reliable the 24-year-old colossus has been for the Whites in defence this season.
Belgian journalist Sacha Tavolieri recently claimed that Club Brugge are keen on a deal to sign the Leeds star in a potential €15m (£13m) deal in January.
However, there is no guarantee that the Whites would be willing to sell him midway through the season, or for that fee, so there is no immediate concern over his future.
If the club do decide that they want to raise money to bring in more additions for their squad, though, Struijk could be an option if Club Brugge actualise their interest with an offer.
2
Crysencio Summerville
Another player who has been linked with a potential move away from Elland Road at the turn of the year is the impressively talented forward Crysencio Summerville.
The Dutch magician has been in phenomenal form so far this season and clubs at a higher level have taken notice of his performances in the second tier.
Football Insider reported earlier this month that two unnamed Premier League sides are interested in the Leeds youngster, who was signed from Feyenoord in 2020 under Marcelo Bielsa.
The outlet also stated that the Whites value him at a minimum fee of £25m and believe that his price will rocket up if they win promotion to the top-flight, which is they are reluctant to cash in during the upcoming January window.
Summerville has been an outstanding contributor at the top end of the pitch for Leeds as he currently leads the club for goals (six) and assists (five) in the Championship, with Joel Piroe (six) and Georginio Rutter (five) joint-top with him for goals and assists respectively.
The 22-year-old whiz has also provided the most key passes (2.8) per game within the squad and is joint-top with Rutter for dribbles completed (2.4) per match.
He has been exciting to watch his his terrific forward play and losing him would be a significant blow, based on these statistics, which is why the club will be keen to keep him.
However, £25m is a hefty sum of money and they could have their resolve tested by Premier League sides in January, who could provide the Whites with an opportunity to reinvest that back into their squad ahead of the second half of the campaign.
3
Wilfried Gnonto
Finally, Wilfried Gnonto could be sold in January after a difficult start to the season as he been touted with an exit from the Yorkshire-based side at the turn of the year.
TEAMtalk reported at the end of October that Everton, Lazio, and Roma are all interested in a possible deal to the sign the Italy international, who is said to view a move as being possible in January.
The outlet claimed that the 20-year-old talent had agreed to sign for the Toffees during the summer transfer window but Leeds refused to sanction a transfer.
It is now stated that the Whites are looking for a fee within the region of £25m for the former Zurich star, which could take the total potential incoming sum of money to £63m if the club decided to cash in on Gnonto, Struijk, and Summerville for the reported fees.
Gnonto may be the most realistic sale at this moment in time as he has not had the impact on the pitch that the other two have been able to have so far this term.
The Italian dynamo has produced one goal and one assist in ten Championship appearances, including six starts. He has missed two ‘big chances’ and not created a single one for his teammates, to go along with his dismal 0.5 key passes per match for his fellow attackers across those ten games.
These statistics show that the Everton target has not been a consistent performer this term and raking in a £25m fee could be a fantastic piece of business by Leeds, who could then reinvest that money to improve their squad.
