£22M signing for Leeds United ‘imminent’ – club have lined up replacement for star player

Leeds United have moved quickly since the start of the transfer window. The first week of July saw reports of the club working on summer exits.

The likes of Illan Meslier, Max Wober, Darko Gyabi and Joe Gelhardt among others have been made available for sale this summer. This opened the path for the Whites to work on some arrivals.

This Sunday saw the signing of Lukas Nmecha, who will join on a free transfer from Wolfsburg. Leeds are also locked in talks with Udinese over a deal for Slovenian defender Jaka Bijol.

With a deal for Nmecha completed, and the move for Bijol in the pipeline, Leeds are now set to add a third signing.

The Whites entered talks with Strasbourg last week over Habib Diarra. Leeds even sent in a bid for the midfielder. Reports from France indicated that the Ligue 1 side were stalling a deal to see if their star midfielder would get other offers.

Now, Team Football in France claim a deal for Habib Diarra is ‘imminent’. Leeds could seal a £22million move for the Senegalese international. Reports claim Strasbourg have already secured Diarra’s replacement, as Mahamadou Doumbia is set to join from Royal Antwerp.

Leeds quietly improving the spine of the team

Though the only confirmed signing so far has been Lukas Nmecha, it is quite clear what Leeds are doing. Plans to sign a new defender, and midfielder mean they are increasing the quality in the spine of the team. A deal for Jaka Bijol instantly sees the improvement in quality of the backline. The Whites already have two of the best defenders from the Championship last season.

Nmecha raises the ceiling of the attack. He comes with experience from the Bundesliga, a similar level of football to the Premier League.