Sallai in: 2 last gasp transfers Leeds United must consider before August 30th | OneFootball

FLW outline two ideal signings Leeds United should be looking to make at the end of the transfer window.

Leeds United have had to navigate a tricky transfer window so far, but have made some impressive signings that could make all the difference as they target a return to the Premier League.

In terms of key personnel last year, Archie Gray, Glen Kamara, Crysencio Summerville, and Georginio Rutter have all left the club, alongside other fringe players or loaned-out players such as Diego Llorente, Marc Roca, Sam Greenwood, Luke Ayling, and Charlie Cresswell. Their outgoing column has been far larger than their incomings.

However, with parachute payments halved in their second year, and reports emerging earlier in the summer that they may have to generate around £100 million in transfer fees, they have been in need of sales. There may be more to come, but Leeds fans will be hoping that attentions during the final week of the window will firmly be on signings.

So far, Joe Rodon has come the other way from Tottenham Hotspur as part of the deal for Gray, and Leeds have also acquired Alex Cairns and Joe Rothwell over the last few months. However, Jayden Bogle's capture from Sheffield United and Largie Ramazani's from UD Almeria are particularly eye-catching, and there is bound to be more to come this week.

They have pruned the squad well in terms of outgoings, so the focus should be on giving Daniel Farke the strongest squad possible for a promotion charge. Here, we take a look at two players that they should be eyeing a move for, who could make all the difference to their 2024/25 campaign.

Roland Sallai

Leeds have been monitoring SC Freiburg forward Roland Sallai throughout the summer, as they look to bring in attacking reinforcements on top of Ramazani ahead of the transfer deadline.

After initially being rebuffed by the Bundesliga club, Graham Smyth of The Yorkshire Evening Post has revealed via his newsletter that Sallai has re-emerged as a target, explaining how the Hungarian international is a player the club likes, and he is firmly among the ‘list’ of players that the recruitment team are drawing up as they look to get a few deals done late on in the window.

The update also revealed that Sallai is entering the final year of his contract with Freiburg, so he is also a realistic option, as they will surely want to cash-in as opposed to losing him on a free transfer in 12 months. Farke has dipped into the German market before, both with Leeds and Norwich City, and it is a strategy that has been fruitful.

Sallai may well be an ambitious target for Leeds to be looking at, but has proven quality and many Leeds fans will be keen on the idea of someone who should be too good for the division that they are in. As well as shining in Germany's top-flight, Sallai is one of the key figures in the national team alongside Liverpool's Dominik Szoboszlai, and he has directly contributed to 21 goals in 52 caps for Hungary.

Sallai has a well-rounded skill-set for a forward, and can operate in just about any of the attacking positions. Plenty of his career has been spent on the flanks, but he can also play as a striker in a front two or as an attacking midfielder just behind a focal point of the attack.

Following Ramazani's signing, Leeds may well see Sallai as a central player. If he is then flanked by both Willy Gnonto and Ramazani in a new-look Leeds attack, following a summer of restructuring after the departures of Summerville and Rutter, then Leeds could have a devastating forward line for the level once again. One ready to attack the top of the Championship and push for the title.

Maurits Kjaergaard

According to reports in The Yorkshire Evening Post, Daniel Farke is seeking another No.8 profile in central midfield, as well as full-back cover. That is assuming there are no further outgoings. It is undoubtedly an area where Leeds could use one more signing to strengthen Farke’s options for the season ahead.

A player with strong physical and technical attributes akin to Kamara makes plenty of sense, even if Leeds fans may also be asking for a more technical footballer next to Ethan Ampadu at the base of midfield. Ilia Gruev profiles closely to the Welshan, making it inarguable that they need a more attack-minded option in the middle of the park.

After midfield departures of their own, Leeds need more than just Rothwell. The 29-year-old loanee has bolstered Leeds' ranks and should bring more goals and creativity to Farke's team from the middle of the park. However, following the further departures of Darko Gyabi, Marc Roca, Lewis Bate, and Jamie Shackleton this summer, Leeds are light in midfield areas.

Another player in the box-to-box role with serious output could help make Leeds an even more impressive team from midfield next year, and give them the required depth for another automatic promotion push, and RB Salzburg's Kjærgaard

ticks plenty of boxes for them.

The Danish dynamo is a versatile midfield maestro. The 20-year-old has been making waves in the Austrian football scene with his exceptional ball-carrying and versatility, whilst being a physical specimen already at such a young age. All of that combines to make him an intriguing prospect and a player with plenty of potential to grow and develop into a Premier League player.

Leeds need to make signings that can impact them immediately, but also with the propensity to improve and become players that could take them into the top-flight in the long-term. Ramazani and Sallai do that, but Kjærgaard could as well. He is a commanding presence in the center of the park. He possesses the ability to control the tempo of the game with his exceptional passing range and intelligence.

Leeds need someone with that ability but also the skill-set to get goals and crash the box, which the Dane would bring plenty of as well. He is a well-rounded midfield player already at such a young age, but could refine his abilities further in a Leeds team with plenty of experienced midfield players already.