Leeds United understand that only top-quality players will be sufficient to replace Crysencio Summerville and Georginio Rutter, and it seems they have a genuine shot at securing one.
Although Farke has acknowledged that it will be nearly impossible to find individual replacements as talented as them, the funds raised from their sales should allow for some real quality to be brought in.
In fact, it appears Leeds may have found a replacement for one of them, with a deal of just under £10 million reportedly agreed with UD Almeria for Largie Ramazani.
Ramazani is expected to step in as the replacement for Summerville, leaving Leeds now in search of someone to fill the void left by the ‘unique’ Rutter.
Farke had instructed his recruitment team in January to start preparing for life without Rutter in case Leeds failed to secure promotion, so it will be interesting to see what solution they come up with.
Leeds have a ‘tangible possibility’ of landing Roland Sallai
With Ramazani’s arrival potentially being confirmed as early as today, it seems Leeds have moved on from other targets such as Jack Clarke.
Since Ramazani is a right-footed winger similar to Summerville, Leeds should now be looking for a player with a different profile, which makes the links to Manuel Benson and Ilan Kebbal logical.
However, according to the Yorkshire Evening Post, there’s a new high-profile target on Leeds’ radar: Freiburg’s Roland Sallai.
The report mentions that Sallai was under consideration earlier in the transfer window, but a deal seemed unlikely at the time.
Now, with the transfer deadline approaching next Friday, a move to Leeds is reportedly a ‘tangible possibility’ as Sallai is still on their list of targets.
Sallai has less than a year remaining on his contract with the Bundesliga club, and securing him would be a significant achievement for Leeds.
Who is Leeds’ new target, Roland Sallai?
As previously mentioned, Sallai would be a major signing for Leeds if they can pull it off, given his impressive experience at both the international and club levels.
At 27, Sallai has been capped 52 times by Hungary, scoring 13 goals and providing nine assists. Notably, he scored twice in a 4-0 win over England at Molineux a couple of years ago.
According to Transfermarkt, Sallai is ambidextrous and can play both as a number 10 or as a winger. He has enjoyed a successful career at Freiburg.
During his time with the Bundesliga side, Sallai has scored 27 goals and provided 23 assists in 161 matches, including a standout campaign in the Europa League last season.
Leeds United are racing against time to finalize the signing of Largie Ramazani if they want to include him in their squad for their upcoming match against Sheffield Wednesday on Friday night.
Reports on Wednesday evening suggested that Leeds had reached an agreement to sign the 23-year-old from relegated Almeria, after the Belgium U21 star entered the final year of his contract.
Ramazani attracted interest this summer not only because of his contract situation and Almeria’s relegation but also because he contributed to eight goals in La Liga last season.
Now, Leeds have reportedly agreed to a £10m deal for Ramazani, which, according to Fabrizio Romano, will include add-ons and a 15% sell-on clause, finally securing a replacement for Crysencio Summerville.
Leeds have until midday on Thursday to register Ramazani
Leeds are set to play their fourth competitive match of the season on Friday night against Danny Rohl’s Sheffield Wednesday. So far, the Whites remain winless after two draws, the latest being against West Brom.
Their season opener against Portsmouth ended in a dramatic 3-3 draw, followed by a heavy defeat in the Carabao Cup to Luke Ayling’s Middlesbrough. Leeds will be eager to secure a win on Friday night.
The Yorkshire Evening Post reports that if Leeds want Ramazani to be part of the squad traveling to Hillsborough, they must complete his registration by midday on Thursday to include the winger.
Race against time, even if Ramazani is unlikely to start for Leeds
It’s likely that midday will come too soon for Leeds and Ramazani. However, with Daniel Farke having avoided major injuries so far, except for a doubt over Max Wober, the German manager has plenty of options.
Wilfried Gnonto and Dan James are the most obvious choices to play out wide at the moment, and Ramazani will have to earn his spot to surpass the Italy and Wales internationals in the starting lineup.
Even if Leeds manage to finalize Ramazani’s move in time and register him, it’s probable that he would only make the bench and might have to wait for his opportunity from the sidelines.
