Portsmouth rivals 'agree terms' with Premier League club as Leeds offer £2.5m bid for long-term target

It’s ten days until Pompey are playing back in the Championship for the first time since 2012. Their first taste of EFL second-tier action comes against Leeds United at Elland Road - a club that had been bidding for promotion to the Premier League last season until they suffered heart-break in the play-off final.

John Mousinho and the Pompey board have been working tirelessly behind the scenes to bring in the necessary additions to strengthen what will soon be a Championship-competing squad. However, they are far from the only team who have been active in the ongoing transfer window with Daniel Farke’s Leeds also making plenty of moves in a bid to once again be in contention to head back to the EFL’s top-tier.

Ahead of Pompey’s impending clash against the Whites, here is the latest transfer news from around Elland Road with a potential Leeds departure coming as a huge boost to the Blues...

Premier League in ‘advanced talks’ with Leeds star

Premier League club West Ham are said to be in ‘advanced talks’ with Leeds United over signing star winger Crysencio Summerville. According to reports from Sky Sports, the Irons are said to be “hopeful they can strike a deal for player emerging as primary target in that position. Personal terms not expected to be a problem.”

Leeds sources have since confirmed that the club is indeed in talks with Summerville’s wage demands not thought to be a problem for the London Stadium club. Summerville has long been expected to depart Elland Road with the club also refusing to rule out further departures since the £40m sale of Archie Gray to Tottenham Hotspur.

Brighton had been the first to express an interest in the goal-scoring star but never tested Leeds with a bid and now it would appear Julen Lopetegui’s side are determined to get their man. Details on a potential fee for the 22-year-old Dutchman remain scarce

Leeds offer £2.5m for Bielsa target

Leeds United are reported to have reignited their interest in long-term transfer target Ryan Kent. According to the latest reports from Turkish outlet Haber Ekspres, the Elland Road side are once again eyeing up a move for the ex-Rangers star who was a transfer target back when Marcelo Bielsa was still in charge of the club.

Leeds are reported to have offered £2.5million for the winger with Fenerbahce’s boss Jose Mourinho reportedly happy to let the 27-year-old leave. Since swapping the Gers for the Turkish giants in 2023, Kent has found significant game time hard to come by. He was far more prevalent in the club’s Europa Conference League campaign than he was in the Turkish SuperLiga, playing ten times in the European competition and just eight times in the league.

Kent registered one goal and two assists across all competitions this season and while his versatility on the pitch could make him an excellent cover, there is a concern that he would be a potentially underwhelming replacement for the reportedly departing pair of Summerville and Wilfried Gnonto.

New bid expected for Bundesliga star

The Whites have reportedly not given up hope of securing Koln midfielder Dejan Ljubicic despite seeing a €4m (£3.36m) bid rejected last week. According to HITC, Leeds believe the Austrian star is the player to replace the Rennes-bound Glen Kamara and a new offer for the 26-year-old is in the works.

Farke is understandably keen to bolster his midfield department after losing both Kamara and Archie Gray this transfer window. Despite failing to agree terms last week, the club’s hopes of signing Ljubicic have not gone away and they are now preparing to make a new offer. The 26-year-old has been a regular starter for the German side, ever since joining in 2021. He has 92 appearances for the club, scoring 11 goals and recording five assists but with just one year left on his contract - and with Koln’s relegation last campaign - the midfielder’s future remains in the air.

The report from HITC notes, however, that Ljubicic is not ruling out remaining with the German club and Koln’s director Christian Keller believes Leeds will not be successful in signing the Austrian international.

Whites handed Ipswich transfer blow

Farke’s side are said to no longer be in the race to sign Blackburn Rovers attacker Sammie Szmodics. According to reports from Football Insider, the 28-year-old - who was described as someone that could win the Championship for the Whites - is in advanced talks with Premier League side Ipswich Town and is more hopeful of a move to the English top flight rather than remaining in the second-tier.

Szmodics ended last campaign on 27 goals in 44 appearances, winning the league’s Golden Boot award. He was also named in the league’s Championship Team of the Season and earned his first senior international appearance for the Republic of Ireland in March. Leeds had registered their interest in the star striker earlier in the transfer window, but with the prospect of Premier League football enticing Szmodics elsewhere, the Elland Road side are said to be focusing their energies on other prospective targets.