In the final days of the transfer season, Leeds United was desperate to sign another midfield player after offers for Dinamo Zagreb’s Martin Baturina and Sheffield United’s Gustavo Hamer were rejected. News of a third failed proposal has surfaced, with FC Koln star Dejan Ljubicic reportedly the target of a rejected offer from the Whites, as they were unable to complete a deal for the two players.
This season, Leeds suffered a serious blow to their midfield ranks with the departures of Georginio Rutter and Glen Kamara. Although Joe Rothwell joined on loan from Bournemouth, it is believed that the club needed another player in the engine room. That individual might have been Ljubicic, but rumors have it Leeds were blocked.
Leeds ‘Had Bid Rejected’ for Dejan Ljubicic
The midfielder is one of Koln’s most important players
According to a report from the Koln-based website Geissblog, despite a number of reports throughout the summer, Ljubicic has not yet left the club. However, Leeds could benefit as the player is unwilling to extend his contract; sporting director Christian Keller explains why this could be risky for the German team, which was relegated to the 2. Bundesliga the previous season.
The cathedral city’s “special” player, Ljubicic, scored his first goals this season against Schalke at the weekend, marking his first goals in more than a year. Despite being linked to a move away from Koln after reportedly indicating his willingness to leave, the club turned down a Wolfsburg inquiry, though that didn’t work out.
| Bundesliga table, 2023/24 – Koln’s relegation from the top-flight | ||
|---|---|---|
| Team | Points | Goal difference |
| 13. Mainz | 35 | -12 |
| 14. Monchengladbach | 34 | -11 |
| 15. Union Berlin | 33 | -25 |
| 16. Bochum | 33 | -32 |
| 17. Koln | 27 | -32 |
| 18. Darmstadt | 17 | -56
|
The athlete has turned down the opportunity to extend his contract, which is scheduled to expire in the summer of next year. Keller doesn’t mind for the time being because his success in the second division is crucial to Koln’s prospects of making an immediate return to the Bundesliga. However, if he keeps up his good play, the list of potential purchasers will probably grow.
Director of Koln Says Ljubicic Is ‘Fully Committed’
However, if Leeds makes an offer in January, their resolve might be put to the test.
Speaking about his star midfielder, sporting director Keller talked in-depth about what he envisages from the Austrian should Koln look to sell him in the winter, stating:
“He is on the up and up and can continue like this. Then he will be a difference maker for us. The fact is: Dejo has not moved. The fact is: Dejo likes being here. The fact is also: he plays well.
“His position at the moment is that he wants to concentrate on the season and play the football he can play again. I think that has to be respected. [I am] simply happy for the moment if he continues to play like this”.
“We have identified Dejo as a very important player for us. He’s a very, very good boy who is fully committed to the FC and who was affected by the fact that last season didn’t go so well.”
Given that Ljubicic is committed to playing football for Koln and that both teams are in very similar situations, it’s possible that the nine-time Austrian cap will stay in Germany rather than move to Yorkshire if Koln is in a better position than Leeds to return to the Premier League.
Read more at;https://sportupdates.co.uk
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