Leeds United to formally sign new defender with announcement imminent
Leeds United are finally set to kickstart their January transfer window.
It looks as though Jack Harrison’s imminent move to Fiorentina won’t be the only action out of Thorp Arch and Elland Road this week.
Daniel Farke asked for patience when it came to transfers until after the FA Cup win over Derby, but Leeds links have not failed to appear.
Toulouse defender Mark McKenzie is said to be a target for Leeds, with Danilho Doekhi another name that refuses to go away.
Instead, it will be another defender who signs on the dotted line at Elland Road.
Leonard Ngenge to sign at Leeds United
Leonard Ngenge looks set to be the first formal signing of the winter window.
Ngenge signed a pre-contract agreement at Leeds back in March 2025, but was not allowed to join until he was 18 years old due to FIFA regulations.
Coming from Ikorodu City in Nigeria, the young defender has been back and forth at Thorp Arch.
Now, according to the Yorkshire Evening Post, Ngenge will formally sign at Leeds in the coming days, with an announcement expected soon after.
It is said he will join Scott Gardner and the under-21s as he acclimates to life in England.
Ngenge has been spotted at Thorp Arch
Ngenge appears to already be at Thorp Arch.
In his latest rounds of Instagram stories, the young defender is spotted in Leeds training gear with boots around his neck in the changing rooms.
Having trained in West Yorkshire several times since his pre-contract agreement, it will be a brilliant feeling for the defender to make it permanent and really start his journey here.
Of course, it will be some time before he is spotted in the first team, should he make it that far.
Joe Rodon, Pascal Struijk and Jaka Bijol have nailed down their spots in the Premier League and are the perfect role models to learn from for Ngenge.
With Sebastiaan Bornauw constantly linked with an Elland Road exit, however, the door could always be open for a younger talent to show what they can do in first-team training.
Should he get that opportunity early and impress, who knows what could happen?