Impact of potential Leeds United retention on transfer task as Daniel Farke reveals confidence

Both men have had serious question marks over their Whites futures, with Sinisterra training away from the main group having been declared unavailable by boss Daniel Farke at Birmingham and Adams the subject of bids by Chelsea and Bournemouth.

The YEP understands that the relegation release clauses that have sparked so many departures from Elland Road this summer have now expired, which would keep alive their longstanding hopes of keeping both men. It would also essentially put Leeds in control of who else leaves before the deadline and give them a clearer picture of what it is they actually need from the market.

It should now be the case that for anyone to make a move back to the Premier League or to a top league abroad, they would have to make an offer that simply could not be refused. Even then, however, Leeds' ability to replace players of Adams or Sinisterra's calibre would have to be taken into account, given that neither man would have come to Elland Road in the first place had the Whites been a Championship side.

Players of that ilk, who could easily ply their trade in the top flight right now, don't tend to drop down into the second tier when they have tasted European football and the relegated clubs in this season's Championship are thought to have experienced that particular reality in their recruitment attempts thus far this summer. Adams cost Leeds in the region of £20m, while Sinisterra was a £22m addition and that kind of expenditure is generally outside the bounds of Championship transfer activity.

Should Adams, who was spotted at Thorp Arch on Thursday, remain at the club come September 2 and regain full fitness then he and Ethan Ampadu would give Farke a pair of serious options for his deep-lying midfield positions. Leeds are on the hunt for a more forward-thinking midfielder to compete with Archie Gray in the centre of the pitch to complete that particular department, with Darko Gyabi also hoping to break through this season.

Likewise Sinisterra, if he can firstly be retained and then reintegrated to the squad after this week's events, would represent a huge asset in the Championship. The Colombian, whose situation is said by Farke to bear no resemblance to that of Willy Gnonto and could therefore theoretically rejoin the squad relatively swiftly, proved himself to be a difference-maker in the Premier League last season when he was fit. Had he followed several others in exercising their loan clauses then Leeds would have had to go into the market for a replacement out wide.

In the event that Sinisterra does indeed remain and should Gnonto back down from his desire to depart, then they, along with Daniel James, Ian Poveda and Crysencio Summerville, would create serious competition for the wing positions.

Gnonto, like Sinisterra, has been training away from the team and evidently has bridges to mend before he could return to play a part for Farke but Leeds have remained insistent that he would not be sold. The attention from Everton has not reached a level that has piqued the 49ers Enterprises ownership group and at present that seems unlikely to change. It is also clear that if Leeds did decide to sell Gnonto it could create a dangerous precedent for any player wishing to depart against the club's wishes.

Up top is where Leeds are actively recruiting and the club's recruitment chiefs are also still thought to be targeting a full-back. The flexibility of Max Aarons, who has on occasion played at left-back, was in the Whites' thinking when they attempted to bring him in from Norwich City.

Farke is confident that come September his group will resemble a competitive promotion-chasing one.

"We know that we have to improve the squad but we need to bring some quality in," he said on Thursday.

"We're working unbelievably hard behind the scenes but at the first step, a few things had to be decided also with some exits and the closer we actually get right now to the window the more clarity we have, and the more clarity we have also for what we can do in terms of what we can spend, in terms of incomings.

"We have good people, good key people behind the scenes and hopefully then when September arrives pretty quick, our squad will look much, much more competitive and also stronger in comparison to perhaps the situation last week or the beginning of this week. We are quite confident that we'll have a competitive group come the end of August."