Leeds United have been urged to act fast to extend the contracts of key players Sam Byram and Junior Firpo, while the Whites have been told to drop their demands if they want to sell one of their undesired loanees.
Daniel Farke’s team returned to winning ways on Saturday, defeating 10-man Cardiff 2-0 in South Wales to reclaim their place in the Championship’s top six, having collected 11 points from their first six games. With the Championship promotion race expected to be unpredictable, Leeds will need to rely on their squad depth to improve on last season’s narrow miss.
Junior Firpo, a Dominican Republic international, has been a key contributor to the team’s recent success.
Leeds may lose the £12.9 million former Barcelona player on a free transfer after his contract expires at the end of the season.
The scenario is similar for utility player Byram, who signed a one-year deal this summer.
In an interview with Football League World, former Leeds player Carlton Palmer emphasised the need of signing players to long-term contracts as soon as feasible.
“They have both played a really big part at the start of the season, Byram making four appearances and Firpo being a part of five,” Palmer told me.
“Unless there are any unreported extension triggers that we are unaware of, we will have to wait and see. Obviously, they could sign pre-contract deals in January, but I’m sure Daniel Farke thinks the two players are excellent choices for the squad.
“He does not want to lose those players for nothing. It’s a tricky time because the season has begun, but time will tell if they trigger an extension or have their contracts extended for another year, but I’m sure they’ll want to sit down and work something out.”
Leeds must avoid losing Firpo for free as contract stance emerges
TEAMtalk previously stated that Firpo was interested in signing an extension with Leeds, but the Whites were willing to postpone any decision for the time being, putting them at risk of losing him on a free transfer.
Palmer cautioned about losing Firpo for free after spending £10-15 million to sign him from Barcelona. They have already made key starts for Leeds United this season, but that is the trouble with being a manager: there is always something going on or pressing.
“The aim for Leeds is to gain promotion this season, therefore they will try to sit down and negotiate extensions for these players for at least another season.
“The one thing that will happen is that Farke will sit down and chat with the Leeds leadership, and if these players’ contracts are not extended, they will already be looking to bring in new players in January.
“These decisions will decide the season’s result. They should get it properly.”
Leeds handed Rasmus Kristensen sale warning
Rasmus Kristensen, a Denmark international, does not appear to be part of Leeds’ long-term plans, since the Whites have loaned him out again this season.
Kristensen, who spent the 2023/24 season on loan with Roma, has been sent to Germany with Eintracht Frankfurt, where he has made five appearances and played all 450 minutes.
That contract included the option to make the loan permanent for a fixed cost of €13 million (£10.8 million, $14.4 million) next summer.
According to Fussball, the Bundesliga side is satisfied with the player, but are concerned that the sum set by Leeds is too high.To acquire his permanent signing, they will need to lower their asking price.
Leeds United may face another costly exit next summer, with Tottenham apparently looking to reunite Archie Grey with another talented Whites youngster in 2025.
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