Leeds United's start to the 2024/25 Championship season was as turbulent as their summer transfer window has been as they were held to a 3-3 draw by Portsmouth. The Whites dropped two points to the League One champions at Elland Road in a game with plenty of twists and turns, which has been a theme of the summer for Daniel Farke.
He has been forced to watch on as multiple of his key performers from last season's promotion charge have moved on, with Crysencio Summerville, Archie Gray, and Glen Kamara all sealing permanent exits from Yorkshire.
They also allowed central defenders Charlie Cresswell and Liam Cooper to move on, and Leeds are now reportedly eyeing a player who could come in to replace them.
Leeds submit bid for Premier League brute
According to Mail on Sunday (11 August, page 86), as relayed by Sports View, the Whites have submitted an offer to sign Bashir Humphreys from Chelsea. The report claims that the Yorkshire-based outfit are pursuing a deal for the 21-year-old central defender, but does not reveal whether their bid is to land him on a permanent basis or on loan.
This latest update on Leeds' interest in the England U21 international comes after Fabrizio Romano recently confirmed that he "will" leave the Blues this summer, which suggests that the youngster is set to seal a transfer before the deadline to either Leeds or another interested party.
The Italian reporter claimed that the Premier League team would prefer to sell Humphreys, whilst refusing to rule out the possibility of a loan, amid interest from both the Whites and fellow Championship competitors Burnley. It now remains to be seen what Chelsea's answer will be to the 49ers' offer for the €4.8m-rated (£4.1m) star, or if the player is keen on a move to Elland Road.
Humphreys is a long term project for Leeds
Firstly, he is a 21-year-old England U21 international with plenty of time left ahead of him to develop and improve over the years to come, which means that Farke could bring him in as a long-term project. Humphreys is also a versatile defender who has played in both full-back positions and in a holding midfield role, alongside his natural position at centre-back.
The young brute, who was lauded as "outstanding" by former boss Michael Duff, also has experience in the Championship, after spending last term on loan with Swansea in the second tier.
Appearances
24
23
Pass accuracy
87%
90%
Duel success rate
55%
61%
Error led to shot/goal
0
1
Ball recoveries per game
4.2
6.1
As you can see in the table above, Humphreys did not outperform Farke's current left-footed centre-back option, Pascal Struijk, in or out of possession last season. This suggests that the Chelsea youngster would likely come in as an understudy to the Dutch enforcer and act as back-up, at least initially, this term – filling in for the role Cresswell and Cooper played in the 2023/24 campaign.
Therefore, depending on the price of a permanent deal, the 21-year-old talent could make a lot of sense for Farke as a versatile and Championship-proven defender who still has room to develop.
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