Leeds United Secure The Signing Of This Serie A Centre-back: What He Would BringTo Elland Road | OneFootball

If a recent report from The Athletic is believed to be true, Leeds United are close to announcing the signing of Jaka Bijol following his medical in West Yorkshire on Wednesday. The Whites are still discussing the final fee with Udinese, but a middle ground is soon to be reached with the Serie A allowing their star defender to travel to England.

While Leeds valued him at around £14.5m, Udinese’s £21m asking price proved to be a stumbling block. However, an offer of around £18.75m could break the ice, and the 6 ft 4 in Slovenian is expected to be unveiled soon at Elland Road as their second summer signing after Lukas Nmecha’s Bosman arrival.

The 26-year-old centre-half progressed through the academy ranks of Dravograd and Bravo before clinching a first-team spot with Rudar Velenje in the top flight of Slovenian football. He was then roped in by the Russian giants CSKA Moscow for €400k and cemented a regular status, predominantly as a ‘number 8’. Bijol also featured as a centre-forward a few times, but was mostly confined to a defensive midfield role while on a season-long loan to Hannover 96 in the second tier of Germany.

MILAN, ITALY – MARCH 30: Joaquin Correa of FC Internazionale runs with the ball under pressure from Jaka Bijol of Udinese during the Serie A match between FC Internazionale and Udinese at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on March 30, 2025, in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

The 63-capped Slovenia international was converted to a centre-back upon returning to CSKA, and his towering presence in deep defence earned him a €4m transfer to Udinese in the summer of 2022. Bijol has been ubiquitous barring injuries, and is now ready to experience the English game.

Daniel Farke has been highly successful in the Championship, having secured the promotion on two occasions with Norwich City. But he struggled to attune to Premier League football, thus focusing on reinforcements to prevent the same with his current employers. They must opt for quality over quantity to retain their top-flight status, and the conundrum in the defensive third could now be resolved with Bijol’s arrival.

A Massive Signing For Leeds United?

Joe Rodon and skipper Ethan Ampadu formed a stable partnership in the heart of Leeds’ backline. Although the latter exhibited his versatility and slotted in midfield at times, Pascal Struijk showed his composure as a centre-half, even when Ampadu missed a couple of months of action with a knee injury.

Having said that, Maximilian Wöber’s little engagement and Josuha Guilavogui’s exit demand recruitment. Rodon, Ampadu and Struijk had their stints in the Premier League, but their lack of impact depicts the necessity of a new defender with experience of the highest order. Serie A often produced top-notch centre-backs, and the aerial and physical supremacy of Bijol should help him attune to the grind, demand and aggression of English football.