Romano 'here we go' for second signing as Farke lines up £60.4m triple deal

Leeds have reportedly reached an agreement with Udinese and Jaka Bijol for the centre-back to become their second signing of the summer as Daniel Farke pushes for two further additions.

Promotion back to the Premier League has so far seen Leeds secure Wolfsburg striker Lukas Nmecha on a free transfer, and despite a late reported hijack attempt by Newcastle, transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has now confirmed they’re also set to land Bijol.

Romano wrote on X: ‘EXCLUSIVE: Leeds United agree deal to sign Jaka Bijol from Udinese, club to club deal done and here we go! Agreement for €22m [£18.7m] transfer fee add-ons included and personal terms also in place for centre back to join #LUFC. New defender set for medical soon.’

Leeds has an opening bid of €15m rejected for the 26-year-old Slovenia international, who Sky Sports state is ‘renowned for his high-calibre passing range, aerial ability and controlled aggression’, which briefly opened the door to a late hijack by Newcastle or AC Milan, but that door has now closed.

Farke also wants to add a new midfielder to his squad and according to Portuguese outlet A Bola he has identified Southampton’s Mateus Fernandes as a top target, with the 20-year-old widely expected to leave the Saints following their relegation.

The Whites do face significant competition as Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace are also said to be interested, while Sporting, who sold Fernandes to Southampton last summer for £12.7m, are also supposedly considering re-signing the midfielder.

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That may well be an appealing option for the Saints as Sporting would then not be due their ten per cent sell-on fee, though there’s doubt as to whether they are prepared to reach Southampton’s £29.7m asking price, which the report claims ‘Leeds could look to match’.

And Leeds Live also believe Farke may look to reunite with Max Aarons, whom he managed at Norwich City.

They claim the 25-year-old’s ‘future at Bournemouth is expected to be over’ after spending the second half of last season at Valencia, for whom he played just 208 minutes, and the report states ‘he could cost just over £12m’.

A report from The Athletic last week shed light on just how transfers are done at Leeds, with sources claiming Daniel Farke plays a significant role.

The German is said to hold ‘honest conversations’ with potential transfer targets, making it known to them if they will become a first choice starter or begin their Leeds career on the bench.

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