Leeds United try again to sign Dejan Ljubicic as size of big-money bid more than doubles
Leeds United will try again to sign Dejan Ljubicic from FC Koln before the transfer window closes, according to the Daily Mail.
Simon Jones reported for the paper’s website on 27 August that the Whites have already made a bid worth up to £8million for the Austrian international but have seen it rejected.
That is far higher than what was previously reported by BILD (25 August) or Kicker (18 August) in Germany, with the only offer said to have come from Elland Road valued at €4million [£3.38m].
But according to the Mail Leeds are considering upping the bid still after being rejected by Sheffield United over a £13m bid for Gustavo Hamer.
Ljubicic is keen to join, so much so that attempts by the 26-year-old and his entourage to force through a deal saw him dropped by his agent Volker Struth [BILD, 23 August].
Leeds United push for Glen Kamara replacement
Since Koln were relegated to 2.Bundesliga this season and Ljubicic is inside the final year of his contract the Whites might have expected to be able to get him for a bargain price.
But if they have already put an offer on the table that could reach £8m and are now planning to increase it even further it suggests the German side are playing hardball.
Glen Kamara still needs to be replaced well over a month after he left for Rennes for around the same price [BBC Sport, 16 July] and the nine-cap Austria international could slot in at the base of the midfield.
But after Struth walked away he is said to have changed agents five times in the past year and a half, which might set some alarm bells ringing at Elland Road.
He clearly appears to be eager to join Farke’s side now but it might not be an encouraging sign for the future if he were to get another offer he wanted to take.
However, Leeds have backed themselves into a corner by leaving it so late to replace key playersand Farke is expecting a midfielder.
Manor Solomon is set to follow Largie Ramazani in as the pair of attacking reinforcements the manager asked for, while Max Aarons could prove to be the full-back he wants [Yorkshire Evening Post, 26 August].
And if Ljubicic is to fill the gap left in midfield it looks like being a fairly dramatic and expensive move.
In other Leeds United news, the Whites are still chasing another international winger before the deadline after Ramazani and Solomon.
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