Cheikhou Kouyaté to Leeds United latest amid 'deal agreed' report

Leeds United continue to be linked with interest in Cheikhou Kouyaté but recent claims of a contract being signed are thought to be wide of the mark.

The YEP understands Kouyaté is among a small group of free agent midfielders Leeds have looked at in recent days, with club chiefs exploring all possible avenues to fill the gap left by Ethan Ampadu and Ilia Gruev. The 34-year-old has been without a club since his release from Nottingham Forest in June, having played just 208 minutes of Premier League football last season.

Leeds are weighing up whether to offer Kouyaté a short-term deal and reports on Friday evening claimed a decision had been made, with the Senegal international reportedly due for medical tests over the weekend. But LeedsLive report that as of Saturday morning, those suggestions are wide of the mark.

That is not to say a move has been ruled out, with Kouyaté still of interest to Leeds, but serious consideration must first be given to his fitness levels before pulling the trigger. Not since the 2021/22 campaign has the midfielder played more than 1,000 minutes of league football.

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But Leeds are in the unenviable position of having no senior defensive midfield options until at least the New Year. Ampadu suffered ligament damage to his knee during the 3-0 win over Coventry City and Gruev limped off at Norwich City just three days later, with the Bulgarian expected to be out for around five months after undergoing surgery on his meniscus.

Daniel Farke made clear his stance on free agent signings in the aftermath of Gruev’s injury, outlining the obvious issue of how long it would take for any new arrival to be match-ready, given they have likely been without a club since June. A move for Kouyaté, or any other option, would rely on their ability to prove fit enough for the German’s liking.

"If I'm really honest, I'm not a big friend of signing players who are out of contract in the beginning of October, because it means more or less they are out of team training since May," he said. "That means they are out of team training since whatever, five months.

“And even if you bring them in, it lasts also a while until they are really ready to go and fully fit and really could play first team football and then quite often the player who is right now injured for the next few weeks, he's even even back in perhaps and ready to go earlier than the players who are out for since five months.

"I think quite often it's a bit like a panic buy or like to pretend to do something anyhow. I think it's professional to check it, and sometimes out of coincidence or out of a special situation, there could be someone out who really suits the needs in this moment."