Leeds United will be looking to hit the ground running when the window opens on Friday.
Clubs can officially begin conducting transfer business from the backend of this week onwards and Leeds could certainly do with a fast start after the disappointment of losing the play-off final.
Leeds’ failure to make a signing until the third week of July last summer ultimately proved costly in their promotion push last season, but Paraag Marathe has already made it clear they are in a better position to capitalise this time around.
Alongside Daniel Farke, those in Leeds’ newly formed recruitment team under 49ers Enterprises will have been working hard in the background on potential targets.
Farke has already held talks with Brenden Aaronson over a return to the club following the end of his loan spell and that alone should be a big indication that he is working behind-the-scenes.
Ben Jacobs shares update on Leeds’ Alfie Gilchrist pursuit
Links have so far been few and far between for Leeds but there are a few names that have been mentioned over the last couple of weeks.
Soon-to-be free agent Bobby De Cordova-Reid is said to be a player Leeds are looking at, while Excelsior winger Couhaib Driouech was also mentioned by the Dutch press on Tuesday.
But the first concrete name to emerge as a potential target was young Chelsea defender Alfie Gilchrist, with Ben Jacobs reporting Leeds, Blackburn Rovers and Preston North End are all keen on taking him on loan.
And Jacobs provided an update on that pursuit on the Just Joe Football Show on Tuesday night, claiming that Leeds may have to wait until after pre-season to get a deal done, but that he would be ‘open’ to a move.
He said: “The feeling is he will be loaned out to a Championship club, that’s the plan and the player’s intent. It’s very unlikely in the position he plays that Chelsea will think otherwise, the only question mark is when in the window as sometimes clubs like Chelsea want to take the player over to pre-season first…
“I am sure in the coming weeks he will end up at a Championship club, but it might be more like late July or early August because of what I said. You’ve got Leeds, Preston and Blackburn as the clubs who have made a formative approach.
