Leeds alarm bells ring over Jaka Bijol after Euro club strike agreement
Leeds United are facing serious concerns over the future of Jaka Bijol in the January transfer window.
The Slovenian joined the newly-promoted Premier League side from Udinese in the summer, and he has since established himself as one of the first names on the team sheet at Elland Road.
Bijol’s performances have impressed Leeds fans, and he has also earned the faith of Daniel Farke, who has now handed him starts in nine consecutive games in all competitions.
The centre-back has been in imperious form for Leeds of late, but that has unsurprisingly attracted prying glances from elsewhere in the early stages of the winter window.
Fabio Paractici deal to hand Leeds major Jaka Bijol scare
Bijol’s arrival was a major acquisition for Leeds in the summer, as he joined for a fee of over £15million, making him one of the most expensive signings of what quickly turned into a busy summer.
The 26-year-old is improving with every passing game at the moment, but nobody connected to the West Yorkshire outfit would have expected to face the prospect of potentially losing him just months after his arrival.
However, that is exactly the issue that Leeds are faced with at the moment, as Fiorentina are keen to try and sign Bijol in the coming weeks, according to journalist Nicolo Schira via his X account.
Perhaps even more concerningly for the Whites, the Serie A strugglers recently struck an agreement to take transfer chief Fabio Paratici away from Tottenham, and Schira understands that he has targeted Bijol for the Lilywhites in the past.
Paratici’s imminent arrival at Fiorentina will have alarm bells ringing at Elland Road, as he could act as a driving force behind their interest in the coming weeks.
The 53-year-old won’t join the Viola until the end of the window, but that is unlikely to stop him from exerting an influence on their business from North London, and it will certainly be a concern for Leeds in future windows.
The Whites must set huge price tag on Bijol
Football Insider revealed earlier this week that Leeds have no intention of selling Joel Piroe this month, as Farke is keen to keep the majority of his squad in tact for the second half of the campaign.
Bijol undoubtedly falls into the category of players that the Whites are desperate to keep this winter, and as a result, they need to take action to ensure that they are well-placed to fend off any potential advances from Fiorentina or elsewhere before the 2 February deadline.
The new man is currently first choice centre-back ahead of the likes of Pascal Struijk and Joe Rodon, and the last thing that Leeds will want is to have him prized away from them on the cheap this winter.
With that in mind, they are surely best served by slapping a huge price tag on the defender’s head in order to safeguard themselves against any interest and keep him tied down for the long term.