If a current report from is believed to be true, Leeds United are near asserting the signing of Jaka Bijol following his medical in West Yorkshire on Wednesday. The Whites are nonetheless discussing the ultimate price with Udinese, however a center floor is quickly to be reached with the Serie A permitting their star defender to journey to England.
Whereas valued him at round £14.5m, Udinese’s £21m asking value proved to be a stumbling block. Nevertheless, a suggestion of round £18.75m may break the ice, and the 6 ft 4 in Slovenian is anticipated to be unveiled quickly at Elland Street as their second summer season signing after Lukas Nmecha’s Bosman arrival.
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The 26-year-old centre-half progressed via the academy ranks of Dravograd and Bravo earlier than clinching a first-team spot with Rudar Velenje within the high flight of Slovenian soccer. He was then roped in by the Russian giants CSKA Moscow for €400k and cemented an everyday standing, predominantly as a ‘quantity 8’. Bijol additionally featured as a centre-forward a couple of instances, however was principally confined to a defensive midfield function whereas on a season-long mortgage to Hannover 96 within the second tier of Germany.
MILAN, ITALY – MARCH 30: Joaquin Correa of FC Internazionale runs with the ball underneath strain from Jaka Bijol of Udinese through the Serie A match between FC Internazionale and Udinese at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on March 30, 2025, in Milan, Italy. (Picture by Marco Luzzani/Getty Photos)
The 63-capped Slovenia worldwide was transformed to a centre-back upon returning to CSKA, and his towering presence in deep defence earned him a €4m switch to Udinese in the summertime of 2022. Bijol has been ubiquitous barring accidents, and is now able to expertise the English recreation.
Daniel Farke has been extremely profitable within the Championship, having secured the promotion on two events with Norwich Metropolis. However he struggled to attune to Premier League soccer, thus specializing in reinforcements to forestall the identical together with his present employers. They need to go for high quality over amount to retain their top-flight standing, and the conundrum within the defensive third may now be resolved with Bijol’s arrival.
A Huge Signing For Leeds United?
Joe Rodon and skipper Ethan Ampadu shaped a steady partnership within the coronary heart of Leeds’ backline. Though the latter exhibited his versatility and slotted in midfield at instances, Pascal Struijk confirmed his composure as a centre-half, even when Ampadu missed a few months of motion with a knee damage.
Having mentioned that, Maximilian Wöber’s little engagement and Josuha Guilavogui’s exit demand recruitment. Rodon, Ampadu and Struijk had their stints within the Premier League, however their lack of affect depicts the need of a brand new defender with expertise of the very best order. Serie A typically produced top-notch centre-backs, and the aerial and bodily supremacy of Bijol ought to assist him attune to the grind, demand and aggression of English soccer.