(Credit: Imago)

Jacob Raw

Thu 23 April 2026 15:10, UK

Leeds United could be facing an uphill battle for Ladislav Krejci after their past dealings with Wolves for Jorgen Strand Larsen.

The Whites missed out on signing Strand Larsen, despite offering Wolves two bids worth over £30million, as Crystal Palace then had time to swoop in get the striker.

As a result, Daniel Farke wasn’t given a new number nine in the winter window, after it was made clear to the 49ers that it was the priority.

Leeds are still in a fight for Premier League survival, and the fall through of a deal for Strand Larsen could be detrimental when it’s all said and done.

The 49ers are now preparing talks with Wolves for their centre-back Krejci, and they face having a similar situation to what they had just a couple of months ago with Strand Larsen.

49ers already have negotiations issues with Wolves chiefs

Leeds are interested in signing Krejci amid Wolves’ Premier League relegation.

The defender has been a top performer out of a bad bunch for Rob Edwards in the second half of the season, as it seems the 49ers are keen to sign another centre-back.

It’s said that Leeds are willing to pay £26m for Krejci, and though the eight-figure sum is a lot of money, the 49ers know that Wolves will be stubborn in talks.

Their relegation only makes things even more difficult, as there is a good chance that Wolves will want to keep the 27-year-old on their books for next season.

Alternatively, if the player were to demand his sale this summer in a bid to join Leeds, Wolves would most likely hold out for as much money as they can get.

This was already seen to be the case with Strand Larsen, as Palace arguably ended up overpaying for the Norwegian, bringing him to Selhurst Park for a whopping £48m package deal.

Krejci release clause makes things more difficult

Krejci is said to have a release clause in his contract with Wolves, and if it’s anything above Leeds’ valuation of the defender, then things will become complicated.

Hypothetically, if Krejci had a release clause of £35m, Wolves would most likely stay stubborn and not budge on the Whites’ potential £26m offer.

It’s not known what the specific value of the release clause is, but given Leeds’ past troubles with Wolves, the 49ers could end up wasting their time once more.

The problem is that good deals are crucial for the Whites to take the next step in the Premier League next season, and they can’t go spending silly money.

Leeds know that, but this also makes it all the more crucial to spend time pursuing transfers that are actually realistic.