Leeds United's strongest squad for Nottingham Forest if £43m double deal sealed
· Ben Crawford · 2026-08-16T06:06:21+00:00 · nguồn gốc
Leeds United's strongest squad for Nottingham Forest if Elvedi and two more signings join
Leeds United are less than a week away from their Premier League opener against Nottingham Forest at the City Ground
Leeds United are gearing up to face Nottingham Forest as the new Premier League season nears. But Daniel Farke's squad can still be strengthened by three new signings, including Nico Elvedi.
Having survived the drop last term, this summer has been a rather busy one for the Whites. Harry Wilson's arrival on a free transfer is a huge boost and signing James Trafford from Manchester City for a total of £40million was a coup.
Pascal Struijk's £20m Brighton exit has been plastered over by the £34m arrival of Tarik Muharemovic from Sassuolo and with less than a week until the Forest clash, Leeds aren't done.
Elvedi will soon be signed from Borussia Moenchengladbach for £8.2m and is likely to slot into Farke's defence. But there are also a couple of other players who have been tentatively linked with moves to Elland Road that could further enhance the squad. Leeds Live takes a look.
If we're to build Farke's strongest squad for the Premier League curtain raiser at the City Ground, then two signings are needed. The club are in the market for a striker and a central midfielder. Leeds lost out on Shea Charles to Fulham, having bid up to £23m plus add-ons for the ex-Southampton man.
Knowing that this amount of money is there to be spent, AC Milan's Yunus Musah could be the perfect box-to-box midfielder they're after. Now, it is understood that any rumours concerning Leeds' interest in Musah are unfounded, but regardless, he is a player who fits the profile the club want. The 23-year-old excels at driving up the pitch and boasts elite athleticism.
This would pair brilliantly with Ethan Ampadu, who could act as a safety net when Musah's trademark roaming occurs. Although this is a rather speculative link, the player is rumoured to be available for just £17m and Leeds have a history of Americans manning their midfield.
Up front, then, another suggestion would be Feyenoord's Ayase Ueda. Leeds have a slight interest in the Eredivisie Golden Boot winner and he, too, could be a great fit, with money available after Joe Gelhardt's £6.5m move to Hull City was completed.
The Dutch side's £26m asking price could be a stumbling block, but if we're speaking theoretically, the Japanese star would be a brilliant partner or deputy to Dominic Calvert-Lewin. He is an out-and-out poacher who thrives in front of goal and has brilliant short-burst acceleration.
If he were to be introduced off the bench, he'd complement Calvert-Lewin brilliantly if used alongside him or be a great alternative in certain scenarios. Not to mention, his international team-mate Ao Tanaka could play the role of persuader and reinforcements will be needed if both Joel Piroe and Wilfried Gnonto leave.
Elvedi is expected to arrive from Germany as Sebastiaan Bornauw nears a move to Hamburg. So if Musah and Ueda can be signed, Farke's squad for Forest would start looking incredibly deep.
With Lucas Perri's exit nearing, Alex Cairns can be the club's No. 2, with Illan Meslier gone and Trafford the undisputed No. 1. At wing-back, Gabriel Gudmundsson's injury means James Justin is likely to start on the left and Jayden Bogle can resume on the right.
Central defence will see new man Elvedi on the right and Muharemovic play on the left, with Jaka Bijol in the middle. Bornauw will go and Joe Rodon is dropped. This assumes Farke goes with a back three rather than the back four he has favoured in pre-season.
In midfield, Ampadu pairs with Musah with Anton Stach and Tanaka as substitutes. Brenden Aaronson can link play together in the No. 10 position and with Noah Okafor maybe not quite at full fitness, Wilson can slot in next to Calvert-Lewin as the second-striker. That leaves Ueda, Dan James and Lukas Nmecha as stars who will make a difference off the bench.
Starting XI: Trafford; Bogle, Elvedi, Bijol, Muharemovic, Justin; Ampadu, Musah, Aaronson; Wilson, Calvert-Lewin.
Bench: Cairns, Rodon, Byram, Stach, Tanaka, James, Okafor, Ueda, Nmecha.