Leeds United transfer target refuses to commit to new contract amid uncertain future

Leeds United summer target Dejan Ljubicic is facing an uncertain situation with current club Koln. The Whites were keen on luring the midfielder over to England over the summer but weren’t able to strike an agreement after having a bid rejected.

The Whites ended up moving for Fortuna Dusseldorf’s Ao Tanaka in the end. However, the door could open to land the Austria international down the line. Ljubicic, who is 26-years-old, stayed put at Koln despite their relegation from the Bundesliga. He has been on the books there since joining them in 2021 and has been a key player but is out of contract this summer and has refused to commit to a new deal as things stand and wants to focus on the campaign ahead.

In this latest update regarding his situation, their sporting director Christian Keller has said, as per Geiss Blog: “I didn't have to do a lot of convincing. There is always a lot written about a transfer period. The fact is: Dejo has not changed. The fact is: Dejo likes to be there. It's also a fact that he's playing well.

“Dejo and I discussed this very openly, right at the beginning of pre-season and also recently. His position at the moment is that he wants to concentrate on the season and play the football he can play again.”

Leeds could have seen the player as someone to bolster their options in the middle of the park. Daniel Farke’s side were patient with their recruitment in the last transfer window as they waited for the right players to become available. Time will tell whether they end up moving for Ljubicic at some point in the future. In the meantime, his focus in on Koln and their quest to gain an immediate promotion from Bundesliga.2.

Prior to his switch to Germany, he rose up through the academy ranks at Austria Wien. He went on to play 131 appearances for their first-team as a youngster and scored eight goals.

Leeds won 2-0 at home to Hull City last time out and Farke was pleased with the win: “We spoke about a perfect away performance at Sheffield Wednesday and that today feels like a perfect home performance. It’s never that easy when you have so many incomings but I’m really happy and delighted. It’s important to finish the game with a clean sheet and it’s good for the mood, the table and the confidence. Overall, I would say it was a perfect finish to August. With eight points out of four games and three clean sheets, we’re on a good path.”

Mateo Joseph caught his manager’s eye: “Once you move up to senior level, at 18 or 19, it’s hard to learn the natural instinct of a striker. You either have it or you don’t and there’s still work to do, but Mateo definitely has it. He scored a lot of goals at youth level but has to keep going on this path. If he does, then he has a chance of having a very good career.”

Leeds are unbeaten in their first four league outings. They are back in action after the international break with a clash against Burnley at home before an away trip to Cardiff City.