Credit: Imago

Aheed Abrar

Tue 12 May 2026 17:10, UK

Leeds United have seen Joao Gomes turn down an offer to join them in the upcoming transfer window.

According to Pablo Oliveira on X on 12 May, the midfielder is prioritising a move to Atletico Madrid in the summer, which he sees as a unique opportunity.

The Brazilian journalist reports that the 25-year-old is holding out for a move to the Spanish giants after rejecting the Whites, Zenit Saint Petersburg, Atalanta and Galatasaray.

It has been claimed that despite some offers being financially superior to the one from Riyadh Air Metropolitano Stadium, the Brazil international has made his decision.

Gomes’ move to Elland Road seems to be off for now, but it remains to be seen how his situation will unfold in the coming weeks.

Daniel Farke to keep faith in Leeds United options

Daniel Farke already has an abundance of talent in the midfield at Leeds, with Ethan Ampadu and Anton Stach standing out this season.

Ao Tanaka was struggling for a few minutes a few months back, but the Japan international has got himself back into the German manager’s plans.

Sean Longstaff has also consistently made an impact coming off the bench in recent weeks, while Ilia Gruev is another option who’s currently sidelined at Elland Road.

Farke will surely be confident in his midfielders ahead of the 2026-27 campaign, with funds surely better spent to bolster other areas of the pitch.

Elland Road hierarchy have obvious transfer priorities

Pascal Struijk’s exit from Leeds could potentially be on the cards after the willingness at Elland Road to cash in on him last summer.

Regardless of what the future holds for the centre-back, the West Yorkshire outfit certainly need more depth in the backline, with Farke preferring playing a 5-3-2 formation.

A new number nine could also take the Whites a long way next season, with the German manager relying on Dominic Calvert-Lewin to shoulder the goalscoring burden in the current campaign.

With the goalkeeping department also in need of reinforcements, it will be interesting to see how much money 49ers Enterprises will be willing to spend on a new midfielder.