Leeds United transfer saga continues as 'lucrative' Dejan Ljubicic return mooted after £3.3m rejection

Speculation surrounding Leeds United’s interest in Dejan Ljubicic looks set to continue until the deadline with reports in Germany suggesting a ‘lucrative’ second bid is being prepared.

Ljubicic has been on the radar of Elland Road recruitment chiefs throughout the summer, with Leeds seeing a £3.3million (€4m) bid rejected by 1. FC Koln last month. They aren’t thought to have improved on that number yet but interest has remained as Daniel Farke eyes midfield reinforcements before Friday’s deadline.

After a period of quiet, multiple reports in Germany last week suggested Ljubicic was pushing to leave Koln this summer, with the 26-year-old keen on joining Leeds and absent from his side’s DFB-Pokal victory over SV Sandhausen due to knee problems. Hope of a move looked to have faded on Friday when German outlet BILD claimed Leeds were to pull out due Koln’s financial demands, and the midfielder’s return to the starting line-up against Eintracht Braunschweig on Saturday suggested he would stay.

But local newspaper Rheinische Post has suggested a move is not completely off the table, writing that it ‘remains to be seen’ whether Ljubicic will be in Cologne beyond Friday. They also report that Leeds could be set to return with a ‘lucrative’ offer that could tempt Koln to cash in on a player who has less than 12 months left on his contract.

And BILD echo suggestions that a late-summer move cannot be categorically ruled out, insisting Ljubicic ‘wants more’ than German second-tier football and ‘will leave as soon as there is a good offer’. They also quote head of first-team football Thomas Kessler refusing to rule out a late twist.

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"We want to keep Dejo and have made that clear,” he said. “But nothing is ruled out in football."

Ljubicic was the star man on Saturday as his side ran out comfortable 5-0 winners against Braunschweig, scoring twice and putting on a near-perfect performance. His celebration for the second involved putting a finger to his lips and was picked up by German media as a reference to recent speculation.

It remains to be seen whether Leeds will return with an improved offer but negotiations have been affected by Koln being placed under a transfer embargo, having been found guilty of a breach of contract when signing Jaka Cuber from Slovenian side Olimpija Ljubljana in January 2022. That situation has seemingly firmed up the German club’s stance on exits, with greater difficulty in replacing a star player like Ljubicic.

Leeds are expected to sign a central midfielder before Friday’s transfer deadline, with Farke making clear his desire to strengthen in that area following Glen Kamara’s £8m move to Stade Rennais. Joe Rothwell was signed on loan from Bournemouth with the remit of competing with Kamara in the more advanced role and a new arrival is needed.

Ilia Gruev has started alongside Ethan Ampadu so far but Farke has been clear in his desire to have more attacking threat alongside the club captain, something Ljubicic showed he can provide over the weekend.