Leeds United

Steve Sutcliffe
BBC Sport journalist

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Having been in the Championship for two years out of the past three, Burnley may need to be conservative with their PSR loss limited to £61m.

Aside from Sunderland, the Clarets are the only Premier League side yet to go above the £20m mark in a single player purchase.

The Black Cats' return to the top flight via the play-offs comes with the knowledge they will be able to reinforce significantly for the step up in class that awaits.

Enzo le Fee's loan move from Roma in January included an obligation-to-buy clause and the French midfielder could well kick-start a recruitment drive with Sunderland in good financial shape.

"Since being relegated from the Premier League in 2017, Sunderland have not spent more than £10m in a single year on player signings, despite receiving parachute payments, and they have only made losses of £18m in the last two seasons," said football finance expert Kieran Maguire.

Leeds, who finished top of the second tier are in a less fortunate position.

"They will have to box clever in terms of recruitment," continued Maguire.

"Spending £100m is just about feasible."

Read more about the early transfer window and what each Premier League club can spend this summer

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We asked for you to tell us what Leeds need to do in the summer transfer window.

Here are some of your comments:

Clan: I hope we don't fall into the trap of signing 30-plus out-of-contract players who have been 'let go' by other teams. Yes, we will need experienced PL players but not ones who are already a yard off the pace and are usually injury prone!

Mark: We need to bring in established Premier League quality players. I would get Kalvin Phillips back where he belongs and Callum Wilson would be a good solid addition, as well as an experienced goalkeeper.

Andrew: We have a lot of attacking options, so the frontline, barring another useful, proven striker, doesn't need much improvement. The midfield should be built around Tanaka, and we desperately need a quality attacking midfielder to hold the ball and create/score goals. Bogle will need back-up in the RB position, and depending on who moves on we may need to look at wing-back options. The goalkeeper situation is an interesting one. Meslier is an excellent shotstopper but other aspects of his game are lacking. Darlow is a great all-rounder and has played in the Premier League. If Meslier moves on, we either need to trust in Darlow and bring a quality back-up in, or go the whole hog and sign a proven, high-quality goalkeeper.

Gary: First on the list of outgoings has to be Bamford. I can't understand why he is even in the squad, let alone being used as a substitute. Should have gone two seasons ago. Harrison next out of the door followed by Aaronson and Meslier. First signing has to be Solomon, followed by the two deadly strikers we have needed since we were last promoted. It's vital to give Ramazani his chance and have Pirou as back-up.

Mark: We need to forget about 'marquee signings' because we can't afford the wages - yet. For this summer, it needs to be top prospects in their early 20s and decent, Premier League battle-hardened free agents in their early 30s. We nail five or six of those and we stay up. Forecastable income... and then we can start paying the big wages and look to creep into the top eight. It's going to be hard.

Mel: We all know we need to strengthen in certain areas on the pitch. The problem will be attracting players who know they will be in a battle all season to avoid relegation. We can't afford to have injury-prone players. We may be able to get some experienced ones with an incentivised contract ie. if we stay up they get a big bonus. I'm sure those searches/negotiations are already well under way.

Ian: Keep Manor Soloman, but don't pay more than £20m for him. A new goalkeeper, centre-back, number 10 and centre-forward needed.

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Leeds United chairman Paraag Marathe is to take up a new position at Scottish Premiership side Rangers.

Marathe will work in the role of the club's new vice-chairman alongside his existing position at Elland Road.

The news comes after Leeds' owners, San Francisco 49ers Enterprises, completed a multi-million pound takeover at Ibrox led by private healthcare tycoon Andrew Cavenagh, who will become Rangers' chairman.

Marathe has been on the Whites' board of directors for five years, serving as vice-chairman for over two years before taking on the role as chairman.

He was a key figure in leading the club's ownership transition to 49ers Enterprises in July 2023.

Image source, Getty Images

The transfer window opens on Sunday - albeit for 10 days initially, mainly so sides competing in the Club World Cup can get early business done - before reopening for the rest of the summer on 16 June.

As Leeds head back into the Premier League, are there certain players you are desperate for them to sign, or an area of the squad that needs improving? Or maybe holding on to a key player is your biggest priority.

And what about sales - who needs to go?

So over to you... what names need bringing in and shipping out?

Let us know here

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The BBC's Ask Me Anything team have done all of the research ahead of the announcement detailing next season's Premier League matches.

The fixtures for the 2025-26 season will be released at 09:00 BST on Wednesday, 18 June 2025 and the release will include the weekly schedule of all 380 matches.

The season will begin with a single fixture played on Friday, 15 August 2025 and conclude on Sunday, 24 May 2026, when all matches will be played at 16:00 BST. There will be 33 weekend rounds of fixtures, plus five midweek rounds.

The exact date and time at which individual matches are played during each weekend will be determined at regular intervals throughout the season, based on TV selections made by broadcasters.

Read the full article here

Leeds United and Everton are in the race to sign 33-year-old Newcastle United and England striker Callum Wilson, who is out of contract next month. (The Sun, external)

Want more transfer stories? Read Wednesday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

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Leeds United will face Italian giants AC Milan at Dublin's Aviva Stadium on 9 August as part of their pre-season campaign.

The match will serve as part of their preparation before they return to top-flight football the following week.

Leeds have not faced the Serie A side since the 2000-01 season, when the Whites triumphed with 1-0 victory in the Champions League, and will mark their first visit to the Irish capital in nine years.

They will also host La Liga's Villareal earlier in the month after taking a trip to Sweden to play against fellow Premier League side Manchester United in July.

Adonis Storr
Fan writer

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As Manor Solomon gathered the ball at Home Park, away at Plymouth on the final day of the season, the odds were against him.

Three Argyle defenders plus the goalkeeper stood in his way. But he wriggled and squirmed his shot through all of them to send Leeds back to the Premier League as champions.

The gamble United and Daniel Farke took at the start of the season to bring the Israel international to Yorkshire on loan from Tottenham had paid off.

The winner at Plymouth was the third winning goal he struck in Leeds' final six games (Middlesborough, Oxford and Plymouth), meaning he alone was responsible for nine points during the run-in.

Solomon has a history of rising to the occasion.

During Shaktar Donetsk's 2020-21 Champions League campaign, the winger scored both home and away against Real Madrid. A move to the Premier League on loan at Fulham proved so successful he secured a transfer to Spurs.

But a series of injuries stalled his career and there remains questions over his physical resilience.

From January 2022 to the summer of 2024, Solomon missed 50 games for Fulham and Tottenham combined, in a stretch that saw him out of action for more than a year.

But despite the injury risk, Leeds' decision to roll the dice on the Israeli saw him finish joint-top of the Championship for the 'per 90' stats of goal-creating actions and non-penalty goals and assists.

Once he had settled and built a footballing understanding with his team-mates, when Leeds needed a hero, they looked to Manor who stepped up in big moments with a quality far beyond the Championship.

At 25, the winger is on the verge of his best years and has already shown glimpses of his enormous potential.

Now Leeds must do all they can to bring Solomon back to the club.

Find more from Adonis Storr at The Roaring Peacock, external

With the 2024-25 Premier League season coming to a close, we would love to hear what you think of this club page.

A huge thank you to those who have already submitted their responses and have interacted with the page in any capacity throughout the campaign.

We are continuously working to improve your experience and bring you the best possible content and coverage of your team.

It is your club and your voice.

So what do you like?

And what could be improved?

Send thoughts here

Lewis Deighton
Fan writer

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It's 'Final Eve' in the Championship play-offs as Sheffield United prepare to face Sunderland. That could have happened to us, but it didn't!

Eleven months on from Wembley heartbreak, Leeds United are back in the Joy Division not only as champions, but centurions no less.

Financially, winning the Championship play-off final is undoubtedly the best way to be promoted. Dubbed 'the richest game in football', the winner receives a minimum of £200m - while ironically, winning the league only earns roughly 10% of that.

Having money and knowing what to do with it are two different things, though. Southampton, who beat Leeds in the final last season, have gone on to record the most losses ever in a Premier League season - second only to Derby County for the worst points total, too.

After a month of celebrations from Elland Road to Home Park, I look forward to watching tears that aren't our own on the telly.

I don't envy any fan in that ground. I remember that sinking feeling when the full-time whistle blew and it was still there when I opened my eyes the following morning - only to see the Wembley arch from my hotel window.

For obvious reasons, it would be funny if the Blades lose - but I would also rather like the Yorkshire derby, so I'm easy either way.

Find more from Lewis Deighton at LUFC Lewis, external

Monday Night Club pundit Rory Smith believes a move to newly-promoted Leeds United would make sense for Jamie Vardy.

Vardy, who will leave Leicester City at the end of the season, told Sky Sports he has no intention of retiring and believes he can continue to deliver in the Premier League.

Speaking on who Vardy might be suitable for on BBC Radio 5 Live, Smith said: "I think he actually makes a lot of sense for Leeds if he can overcome his inherent Sheffield Wednesday fan status.

"The experience, there aren't that many proven goal scorers available. Leeds have plenty of goals in the team but they don't have a focal point.

"There's questions about whether Joel Piroe can make the step up. I think there's a logic to Leeds."

Watch the full episode on BBC iPlayer

The BBC Radio Leeds 'Don't Go To Bed Just Yet' team pop down to the pub to talk stadium redevelopment at Elland Road and how it will impact the community.

Jonny Buchan, Adam Pope and Kaiser Chiefs' bassist Simon Rix went to The Dragon pub in Wortley to look at a display of the plans and chat to supporters.

They also talk about ticket allocations and how they will be divided up.

You can listen to the latest episode and past editions on BBC Sounds.

Adonis Storr
Fan writer

Image source, Rex Features

Leeds have been linked in recent days with out-of-contract players with Premier League experience and, among fans, the names have provoked a mixed response.

This is arguably the most important transfer window in the club's history and United must make every single signing count if they are to cement their place in England's top tier next season.

So caution is justified, but free agents have worked for Daniel Farke in the past.

In his first season in charge, Farke brought Sam Byram back to the club. An academy product, Byram's time away from Yorkshire was ravaged with injuries.

When rumours emerged of a potential return, some questioned whether his best days were behind him.

But in the past two seasons Byram has played almost as many league games (69) as he did in total during his eight years away from Leeds (80), and he has been a solid performer.

And when Ethan Ampadu and Illia Gruev got injured within the space of 70 minutes of football last September, United went looking for an emergency defensive midfielder and signed out-of-contract Josuha Guilavogui.

In Guilavogui they found more than a back-up player. The farewell messages written on his final matchday shirt indicate the impact he had on team morale.

Brenden Aaronson wrote: "Best mate, best player here, love you g", Jayden Bogle wrote: "The best human I have ever met", another wrote: "My brother, leader, legend, what a man you are mate".

There is caution among the fan base and rightly so about some of the names Leeds have been linked with over the past few weeks - and an acceptance that Leeds need to be shopping in a different market than previous seasons.

But with a young side, Premier League experience is needed and hard to come by, and Leeds must trust Farke to find the right characters for the squad.

Find more from Adonis Storr at The Roaring Peacock, external

Image source, Rex Features

Leeds United have said captain Ethan Ampadu "had no responsibility" for a photo posted on social media of his young son wearing a Galatasaray shirt.

Two Leeds fans, Kevin Speight and Christopher Loftus, were stabbed to death in Istanbul on the eve of the Uefa Cup semi-final match between Leeds and Galatasaray in 2000.

The Championship title winners said in a statement that the Wales international had separated from the boy's mother "several months ago" and "has the full support of everybody at Leeds United".

They added that Ampadu was "aware of and sensitive to the tragic loss within the Loftus and Speight families".

"The club asks for Ethan's privacy to be respected in what is a difficult time for him personally," they said., external

"Our captain has been a leader on and off the pitch this season, demonstrating his commitment to the club, its history, and the broader Leeds community."

Adam Pope
BBC Radio Leeds reporter

Image source, Leeds United

Leeds United intend to submit the club's formal planning application to Leeds City Council this summer for the redevelopment of Elland Road into a 53,000 capacity stadium.

The hybrid application is full and detailed for the West Stand whilst an outline for the North Stand at this stage.

The former is expected to open in 2028 with a rise from 8,000 to 17,750 seats and the latter by nearly five-thousand to 15,300 in 2030.

According to the architect the design will encourage positive behavioural change of spectators to arrive earlier and stay longer to reduce congestion and improve the match day experience.

A recent pre-application proposal for the alterations was backed by the Council's City Plans Panel with several caveats.

Concerns over car parking, litter, nuisance and flooding were raised.

Councillor Andrew Scopes, who is a trustee to the Leeds United Foundation and councillor Dan Cohen, a self-confessed Leeds United supporter, both recognised the major benefits of the project to the city as a whole but say local residents must be looked after.

With that in mind Leeds United have begun to hold a series of community roadshows where Lucinda Yeadon, a former councillor, will ask residents to feedback their views and concerns to the club. At Tuesday night's drop-in event at Holbeck Working Men's Club residents did just that.

"It looks really good and obviously we want Leeds United to do well," Neil told BBC Radio Leeds.

"I'm not actually a football supporter but I live in the area. On matchdays we do have to work around the traffic in terms of timing when we go out or go shopping.

"So anything which will encourage more people to use public transport or make more public pedestrian accessibility from the city centre, especially with the increase in numbers they are planning for the stadium, would be beneficial for the area. We want the club to be successful and I'm pleased its going up into the Premier League."

Another Beeston resident, who asked to remain anonymous, added: "I am very supportive of the redevelopment plans for the stadium.

"We are truly delighted to see such a well thought out and elegant design. It looks amazing and really reflects the stature of Leeds United."

However, they warned they would be "massively affected".

"Everything is going to change from the view to the day to day experience of living here," they added.

"It's a substantial rise in footfall, traffic and noise on matchday which will have an impact.

"Most importantly we'd like the club to engage more directly with those of us who live here.

"The ideal outcome would be a more consistent collaboration between the club and Leeds City Council especially when it comes to traffic management. In my view, as a current concept, its inadequate and the new one has not convinced me it will resolve the issues we face.

"One other improvement would for the club to provide access to public toilets before the match for example. This would help to reduce some of the anti social behaviour we are currently experiencing.

"I just hope those impacts can be managed thoughtfully really with the club and the City Council working closely with residents to find practical solutions and to maintain a good quality of life in our area here. Make us feel like we're part of the process."

The next plans panel meeting of council members is scheduled for 3 July when there will be a report on the consultation feedback.

You can hear local residents reacting to Leeds United's plans to redevelop the club's Elland Road stadium

Listen to West Yorkshire Sport Daily, weeknights at 18:00, and subscribe to BBC Radio Leeds' Don't Go To Bed Just Yet podcast on BBC Sounds.

Image source, Rex Features

Leeds United are mourning the death of Gerry Francis, the first black player to feature for the club.

The South African winger made 52 appearances for Leeds, scoring nine goals between 1957 and 1961.

Francis worked in a shoe factory before moving to England and played in Don Revie's first game in charge of Leeds against Portsmouth on 18 March 1961.

He also played 16 games for York City and eventually moved to Canada.

Francis died at the weekend at the age of 91.

Adonis Storr
Fan writer

For the first time in decades Leeds United have owners with deep pockets and a competent board and management team who can match pragmatism with ambition.

And they will need all that nous to navigate this summer's transfer market.

No one can say who will make the step up to the Premier League within the squad. But there is a core group of players who I imagine would and that includes Ethan Ampadu, Joe Rodon, Pascal Struijk, Jayden Bogle, Ao Tanaka and Dan James.

I would imagine the club are working on a deal to bring Manor Solomon back, as well as considering the merits of a new contract for Junior Firpo. The two linked up on Leeds' left side to great success last season.

Chairman Paraag Marathe confirmed sales will have to be made to ensure the club's position against financial fair play rules. This means any sales would have to represent a profit on the balance sheet.

So it would not surprise me should Illan Meslier be sold. The Frenchman fell out of favour towards the end of the season and could attract a price tag that would surpass what Leeds paid for him.

One player fans might expect Leeds to sell is Brenden Aaronson. But I do not see him attracting an offer that would secure a profit, and despite his deficiencies in possession, he has excelled without the ball in disrupting opposition teams' passing play.

Leeds will be defending far more in the Premier League than in the Championship and will need to adjust their strategy to survive, and that includes recruitment and retention.

United are back where the club and city deserve to be but they must put everything they have into this summer's transfer window if they want to stay up.

Leeds United's promotion party is over but Jonny Buchan, Adam Pope and Kaiser Chiefs bassist Simon Rix remain in the afterglow.

How do the team reflect on the celebrations and victory parade?

Who should be offered new contracts for a return to the Premier League?

What will be made of the plans to redevelop Elland Road?

These are just three things being discussed on the latest edition of 'Don't Go To Bed Just Yet'.

You can listen to the latest episode on BBC Sounds.

"What a magnificent day that was... it's been a great few weeks for Leeds"

Episode 153 of BBC Radio Leeds' Leeds United podcast 'Don't Go To Bed Just Yet' is available to download now via the BBC Sounds app, and it's a very special one.

After all the promotion celebrations in the city had calmed down, Jonny Buchan, Adam Pope and Kaiser Chiefs' bassist Simon Rix took a deep breath and reflected on a huge weekend for club, the city and for the future of Leeds United manager Daniel Farke, who the chairman confirmed will still be in charge next season.

You can click here to listen via BBC Sounds.

Make sure you hit subscribe on the BBC Sounds app or wherever you get your podcasts and that way you won't miss an episode.