Leeds United chiefs have expressed their desire to sign a "top" Premier League player, with his club preferring to sanction a loan deal this summer.
Leeds undergo overhaul in busy summer at Elland Road
A succession of players have departed Elland Road with defender Rasmus Kristensen most recently sealing a temporary switch to Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga.
Bye Bye: £40k-p/w man on verge of leaving Leeds United with medical booked
Daniel Farke is already eyeing up a replacement.
ByBen Browning
The Danish ace joins the likes of Archie Gray, Luis Sinisterra, Marc Roca and other big names in leaving Leeds, following manager Daniel Farke's heartache of losing the Championship play-off final to Southampton in May.
Leeds United exits so far
Player
Fee
Archie Gray
£35m
Luis Sinisterra
£20m
Glen Kamara
£8.5m
Marc Roca
£3.8m
Charlie Cresswell
£3.8m
Diego Llorente
£2.7m
Rasmus Kristensen
Loan
Sam Greenwood
Loan
Jack Harrison
Loan
Darko Gyabi
Loan
Robin Koch
Free
Jamie Shackleton
Free
Luke Ayling
Free
Fees courtesy of Transfermarkt
The aforementioned players and others have brought in around £73.8 million in total to bolster Leeds' transfer kitty and balance their books, not including the wages being taken off their salary bill either.
Left-back Junior Firpo is also in talks to re-join Real Betis, so yet more funds could be added to this total sooner rather than later. In terms of incomings, the Whites have landed Joe Rodon in a £10 million deal from Tottenham, Joe Rothwell on loan from Bournemouth and goalkeeper Alex Cairns from Salford City for an undisclosed fee.
Losing the likes of Gray and Kamara will be a difficult one to take for Farke, though, as the tactician looks to mount another promotion push next season. Indeed, Farke will be hoping not to lose another star player, as forward Crysencio Summerville continues to attract interest from the Premier League.
In the meantime, club chiefs maintain their push to sign star quality for Farke at doable rates, with Crystal Palace starlet Jesurun Rak-Sakyi now on their radar. The 21-year-old has admirers at Southampton and other clubs (Alan Nixon), but Leeds are well and truly in the race for him.
Leeds United express interest in signing Rak-Sayki
That is according to The Daily Mail, who claim that Leeds have expressed an interest in signing Rak-Sakyi ahead of next season.
Palace prefer that he goes out on loan rather than striking a permanent sale, perhaps suggesting that he is highly regarded at Selhurst Park. As well as Leeds, it is believed the Saints, Sheffield United and Sunderland are keen on bringing in the England Under-20 international.
Rak-Sakyi finished the 2021/22 season as the Premier League 2's top goalscorer with 18, making waves at academy level. Thereafter, the winger was sent out on loan to Charlton Athletic for the 2022/23 campaign, where he racked up 15 goals and eight assists in League One.
He was given a handful of opportunities for Palace last season, making six league appearances, but perhaps another loan would be more beneficial for his development.
England defender and Palace star Marc Guehi has called Rak-Sakyi a "top player", and his numbers do a lot to suggest this as well.
