Who is Nico Elvedi? Leeds target profiled amid Daniel Farke admiration | OneFootball

Nico Elvedi has been linked with Leeds United all summer. According to Leeds Live, concrete movement arrived on Thursday and the club are hopeful and confident a deal can be struck.

It is unclear if Leeds would have moved without Sebastiaan Bornauw heading to Hamburg, but Elvedi is set to replace the Belgian. That would again leave four natural senior centre-backs.

Daniel Farke admires Elvedi. During his 2022/23 season at Gladbach, the defender played 34 times and was praised as a leader who, at his best, ranked among Europe’s leading centre-backs.

Now 29, he would widen the squad’s age profile. He boasts more than 300 Bundesliga appearances, 73 Switzerland caps and 24 main-stage European matches.

He has started Switzerland’s last 17 fixtures, including all six World Cup games.

A right-footed centre-back, he has played across the line, including centrally in a back three.

Last season he led Bundesliga defenders with 383 defensive actions and 270 clearances. He completed 92% of his passes and 55.2% of his long balls.

Duels are a weaker area, with a 60.5% success rate overall and 56% in the air. He stands 6ft 2in and is in the final year of his contract after 11 years at Gladbach.

Gladbach visit Aston Villa for a friendly on Saturday. Non-involvement for non-injury reasons would point to talks moving quickly.

Source: Leeds Live

“Artificial intelligence was used to assist in creating this article based on reporting from the original source quoted.”