The summer transfer window opens for business later this month and Leeds United may experience a lot of change within their playing squad.
Daniel Farke may have to deal with some of his top players moving on from Elland Road after the club failed to win promotion out of the Championship.
Crysencio Summerville has been linked with Premier League side Liverpool and versatile teenager Archie Gray has been linked with German giants Bayern Munich and Mikel Arteta's Arsenal.
Another player who could be on his way out of Yorkshire is central midfielder Ilia Gruev, who the club hit the jackpot on when they signed him last summer.
How much Leeds paid for Ilia Gruev
The Whites reportedly splashed out a fee in the region of £5m to sign the central midfielder from German side Werder Bremen ahead of the 2023/24 campaign.
He spent the first portion of the season behind Ethan Ampadu and Glen Kamara in the pecking order but an injury to Pascal Struijk meant that the Welshman was needed at centre-back, which opened the door for Gruev to come in.
Appearances
29
Starts
20
Pass accuracy
92%
Tackles + interceptions per game
2.5
Ground duel success rate
54%
Aerial duel success rate
65%
As you can see in the table above, Gruev went on to rack up 20 starts in the regular season and showcased his quality in and out of possession, by completing a high percentage of his passes and dominating opposition players on the deck and in the air.
The Bulgaria international, who was dubbed "undroppable" by reporter James Marshment, clearly earned the trust of the manager as he also started all three of the team's play-off matches, including the final at Wembley, at the end of the season.
This shows that the Whites hit the jackpot on the pitch when they signed him from Werder Bremen as the 24-year-old maestro went on to be a crucial cog in the middle of the park for Farke.
Ilia Gruev's current market value
Leeds also struck gold with him off the pitch as the midfielder's market value has soared in the one year since his move to Elland Road last summer.
TEAMtalk recently reported that Gruev is one of the players who could move on from Yorkshire ahead of next season, as he is ready to make a move to a major European league.
They claimed that Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund are interested in a swoop to land the Bulgarian whiz and that the Whites currently value him at a fee of £15m.
This means that his market valuation has soared by £10m from £5m to £15m within the space of just one year, which shows that the club hit the jackpot when they signed him in 2023.
They could now go on to make a significant profit on the left-footed star should Dortmund, or any other team, decide to come in and meet that £15m price tag, which would represent a big financial boost for the Championship side.
Leeds held talks to land £3.4m star who could thrive with Kamara
The Whites are reportedly interested in a deal to sign the central midfielder this summer.
ByDan EmeryJun 10, 2024
Irrespective of what happens, though, Leeds struck gold with Gruev as they secured a fantastic performer in the second tier whose value, internally at least, has soared.