Leeds United’s next transfer aims after Tarik Muharemovic and Harry Wilson deals

Leeds Live · Isaac Johnson

Harry Wilson is a versatile attacker who can play in a number of offensive roles while Tarik Muharemovic, the most expensive signing of the 49ers era at £34million, is a direct replacement for Pascal Struijk, who has left for Brighton & Hove Albion in an £18m deal.

Other areas of the pitch need bolstering too, amid the aim of raising the ceiling of the squad’s quality, and Leeds are making advances towards several other targets. Leeds know they will have to make sales to land all the targets they want.

From Monday onwards, after Sunday’s World Cup final, the transfer market is expected to accelerate as players return from their holidays and attention returns to club football, sparking the merry-go-round from the top down.

Here are the positions Leeds will be looking up until September 1, this year’s deadline day.

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The most obvious, and surely the priority, position is goalkeeper. The exits of Karl Darlow and Illan Meslier have halved the senior department with only Lucas Perri and reserve choice Alex Cairns remaining.

Perri himself is of transfer interest to Torino but Leeds will not consider his exit until a new goalkeeper comes in. Leeds have Parma goalkeeper Zion Suzuki and Manchester City shot-stopper James Trafford on a long list of names in whom they hold interest.

However, there has been no advance towards either at this stage and both are also on the radars of many other clubs. Transfer chiefs will be working towards approaching a primary target with the World Cup heading towards its conclusion.

Leeds are still interested in acquiring Julian Brandt and have held talks with his agent and father, Jurgen, at Thorp Arch this week. However, he has also been visiting a number of other clubs.

Wilson is an attacking player who can play as a wide 10 but is not a natural central option. Leeds’ continued interest in Brandt suggests Daniel Farke is still seeking a number 10 who can play out wide, with Brendan Aaronson - out of contract next year - the only current specialist.

Little transfer noise has emerged surrounding a striker as yet, perhaps because there has been no change in the current stock - namely Joel Piroe still remains at the club. He has checked in for pre-season but is widely expected to depart before deadline day.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin looks likely to stay as number one choice but needs a better back-up that is more akin to him than Lukas Nmecha currently is. Someone who can challenge Calvert-Lewin, turning 30 next season, would be ideal.

Leeds were searching for such a player in January and given the situation has not changed, a back-up to Gabriel Gudmundsson will be sought after. James Justin amply covered in the role when required but Leeds notably lost attacking verve when Gudmundsson was absent.

Part of this is down to Justin being right-footed, with Farke liking his full-backs to play on the side of their strongest foot. The manager saw Jack Harrison and his left peg as a potential option there during the first half of last season but he struggled in the role and is expected to leave this summer anyway.

Leeds’ ongoing pursuit of Shea Charles suggests this area is one they are going to make a concerted effort to reinforce. Given current numbers are stable, with five senior options, one existing squad member may eventually be offloaded.

Ilia Gruev only has a year left on his deal, Ao Tanaka admitted in January he had thought about an exit while Sean Longstaff did not start a league game after November. Charles, aged 22, is younger than all of the trio.

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