Leeds United handed transfer boost by West Ham | OneFootball

Defender Ben Johnson will leave West Ham United when his contract expires at the end of the month, amid interest from Leeds United, as reported by Football Insider.

Leeds suffered play-off heartbreak against Southampton last week, which means they will be in the Championship once again for the 2024/25 season.

That means the Yorkshire side could be set to lose some key players over the next few months, so finding replacements will be key.

Johnson is a player who the club has had a long-standing interest in, and it now seems they could be in with a chance of signing the defender, as he is set to leave the Hammers.

Ben Johnson is set to leave West Ham United

Ben Johnson has come through the ranks at West Ham, playing for the club’s under-18s, under-21s, and the first team.

The 24-year-old made his first team debut in the 2018/19 season, and since then, he has gone on to play 109 times for the club in various competitions.

Johnson hasn’t spent any time away from the club, but he hasn’t been able to break consistently into the first team.

That was shown in the 2023/24 campaign, as he played just 14 times in the league and played another eight games in the Europa League, FA Cup, and EFL Cup.

He looks to have made his last appearance for the club now, which came in the 5-2 defeat to Crystal Palace at the back end of April.

According to Football Insider, Johnson will leave the Hammers when his contract expires at the end of the month.

It was reported that the Premier League side made late efforts to try and secure the player on a new contract, but it was rejected by Johnson, who is now looking to take advantage of being a free agent and secure a long-term contract elsewhere.

Leeds United and Rangers are keen on Ben Johnson

Ben Johnson looks set to leave West Ham, and this decision has been made amid interest from Leeds United and Rangers.

The Yorkshire side have been linked with a move for the player for a while now, with it being reported by The Athletic in April that Leeds were keeping an eye on Johnson amid his contract situation.

The report also stated at the time that Rangers are also interested in the player as they look to re-group and challenge Celtic for the title next season.

According to Football Insider, Johnson’s versatility that he has shown with West Ham is highly valued by clubs from the Premier League, the Championship and Ibrox.

Leeds need to win the race for Ben Johnson

Ben Johnson will soon become a free agent, and when he does, Leeds United need to do all they can to win the race for the defender.

The Whites really struggled at both full-back positions this season, as they didn’t have the depth needed to cope with the number of games they played.

It meant players were being dragged around and playing out of position, so Daniel Farke needs to address that and make sure it doesn’t happen again in the following campaign.

So, Leeds adding someone like Johnson would be an excellent decision, as he can play at right-back and left-back, but more importantly, he would be an upgrade on what they currently have and, therefore, make them a better team.

They may need to convince the player that this is the right move over a team from the Premier League, but if they can offer him plenty of game time, then that shouldn’t be a problem.