Leeds United have already made several moves in an attempt to bolster their playing squad ahead of their return to the Premier League next season.
The summer transfer window has been open for many weeks now, and the Championship champions have added Jaka Bijol, Lukas Nmecha, and Sebastiaan Bornauw to the group.
The Whites reportedly agreed a fee of around £5m with Wolfsburg to bring Bornauw to Elland Road as their most recent addition to the squad, to bolster their centre-back ranks.
Daniel Farke now has a plethora of central defensive options to choose from, including Joe Rodon, Pascal Struijk, Ethan Ampadu, Bijol, and Bornauw, although he recently lost one when Max Wober completed a loan move to Werder Bremen.
The German head coach will be hoping that he now has enough quality in that position to form the core of a strong defensive unit that will lead the team to Premier League survival.
It does remain to be seen, though, exactly what sort of role Bornauw will play for Leeds next term, having been signed after Bijol, with Rodon and Struijk also already at the club.
Why Sebastiaan Bornauw may not be a starter for Leeds
The competition that he has ahead of him in the centre-back position suggests that the Belgian central defender has been brought in to provide depth at the back.
That is not to say that it is impossible for him to emerge as a starting calibre-option for Farke if his performances are good enough, but it currently looks like Rodon and Struijk, who were regular starters in the Championship, and Bijol, who has been signed for £15m, are ahead of him in the pecking order.
Another reason why Bornauw may be viewed as a back-up option by Farke initially is because of his lengthy career injury history in Germany.
During his time with Koln and Wolfsburg, the Belgium international has missed a lot of matches through injury in his career, which is a slight concern.
24/25
4
18
23/24
1
2
21/22
1
2
20/21
1
13
19/20
1
2
18/19
3
19
16/17
1
12
However, as you can see in the table above, Bornauw missed 18 games through injury, with four separate issues, in the 2024/25 campaign, which shows that he has a recent track record of being consistently unavailable.
This does not suggest that Bornauw is the sort of player who Farke can reasonably rely on to be available to start week-in-week-out in the Premier League, which is why he may not be viewed as a starter, at least at this moment in time.
Leeds, however, are now reportedly interested in signing another defender who would come in as an even better signing than the former Wolfsburg man, as he could be a starter for the Premier League new boys.
Leeds closing in on new defender
According to the Yorkshire Evening Post, Leeds United are close to securing a deal to sign Lille left-back Gabriel Gudmundsson to bolster their squad.
The report claims that the Whites are closing in on a swoop for the Sweden international, as they look to make him their fourth signing of the summer transfer window.
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It adds that talks are continuing over a potential move for the 26-year-old full-back, but it remains to be seen how much money it will take to strike an agreement with Lille, as he is valued at around £6m by Transfermarkt.
The Yorkshire Evening Post also reveals that Gudmundsson could fly to England on Sunday to finalise a switch to West Yorkshire if all goes well in negotiations, possibly to complete a medical and agree personal terms.
This latest update suggests that the Whites could have their fourth signing in the building in short order, and he could be an even better signing than their third one.
Why Gudmundsson could be a better signing than Bornauw
Leeds could secure an even better signing than Bornauw by getting a deal over the line to bring Gudmundsson to Elland Road in the coming days, because he has the potential to be a regular starter in the defence.
Whilst the Belgian colossus may be a back-up option initially, for the aforementioned reasons, the Swedish star would arrive as the only senior left-back at the club.
Junior Firpo has already moved on from West Yorkshire and Sam Byram’s future remains a mystery, as his deal expired at the end of last month, which means that Farke does not have any senior options in that position.
Gudmundsson, who started 20 matches in Ligue 1 for Lille last season, would be in pole position to be the starting left-back for Leeds next term, because there are currently no players in the building who could challenge him for that role.
This means that the left-footed whiz could join the club as an immediate starting-calibre option for Farke, whilst Bornauw may begin the season as a back-up centre-back initially.
Pass accuracy
82%
Top 31%
Progressive passes*
4.59
Top 34%
Progressive carries*
3.58
Top 5%
Successful take-ons*
1.01
Top 30%
Non-penalty goals*
0.10
Top 20%
Crosses into penalty area
0.50
Top 36%
As you can see in the table above, Gudmundsson showcased a lot of quality in possession for Lille in his appearances in the French top-flight last season, ranking highly as a progressive left-back, who can get his team up the pitch with both passes and carries.
These statistics suggest that the left-footed star, who was described as a “fun” player and a “risk-taker” by reporter Joe Donnohue, could suit Farke’s ball-dominant style of play, as he is comfortable in possession and has shown he can consistently progress play down the left whilst playing in a major European league.
Overall, Gudmundsson appears to have the quality to step in as an immediate starter for Leeds, as a direct replacement for Firpo, which suggests that he will come in as a key operator in the Premier League next season.
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Bornauw, however, may have to settle for a back-up role, at least at first, and that is why the Lille star would come in as an even better signing for the club in the here and now.