Nicolas Kuhn to Leeds: Expert suggests cut-price Celtic deal being agreed
Leeds United are planning to invest in strengthening Daniel Farke’s squad as they begin preparations for promotion to the Premier League.
As things stand, Farke’s side are sitting at the top of the Championship, three points ahead of second-placed Sheffield United and eight points clear of the playoff places.
Now, work is ongoing behind the scenes to identify potential transfer targets who could help ease the transition back into Premier League football.
This comes as last season’s promoted trio of Leicester, Ipswich and Southampton are all facing relegation after just one season in the top flight.
However, former Leeds goalkeeper Paul Robinson told Football Insider that they are unlikely to pursue a move to sign Celtic star Nicolas Kuhn, who has been heavily linked with the move.
Despite their reservations, though, there is a belief that any deal would come at a reduced cost to Leeds given the low fee spent by Celtic to sign the 25-year-old from Rapid Wien.
Since making the move to Scotland in January 2024, the German has scored 21 goals and provided 16 assists in 58 appearances, catching the eye of multiple English sides.
Leeds weigh up Nicolas Kuhn signing amid Newcastle interest
Former Sunderland chief scout Mick Brown told Football Insider that Newcastle scouts have been watching Kuhn but are concerned about whether he can make the step up.
Leeds, meanwhile, are well-stocked out wide with Willie Gnonto, Daniel James, Largie Ramazani and Manor Solomon providing plenty of strength in depth.
Robinson previously told Football Insider that Leeds plan to sign Solomon permanently from Tottenham but face competition from Everton.
Speaking on the latest edition of Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, Robinson explained that the club are more likely to target cover for their defense and defensive midfield options before they look at adding a new forward.
“I don’t think they need a new wide man,” he told Football Insider.
“You look at the players they’ve got in those areas, if they can get Manor Solomon in on a permanent deal then they’ve got enough.
“You’ve got Willie Gnonto, Dan James, Largie Ramazani and Solomon, there’s quality in those wide areas.
“Would Nicolas Kuhn come into the Leeds side and start now? At the moment, he wouldn’t.
“Squad-wise, depending on what they’re left with, for me both Dan James and Willie Gnonto are better and would have more of an impact than him.
“If it was a decision between Solomon and Kuhn, I think they’re taking Solomon.
“Kuhn is a top player and he’s proved he can do it in the Champions League – but when you look at what Celtic paid for him, I don’t think there would be a huge transfer fee involved.
“Leeds have to be careful not to end up with an unbalanced squad.
“At the moment, they don’t have enough defensive cover or defensive midfield cover.
“That’s the area of the pitch they need to look at bringing in new players.
“Khun is a top player and would be a good addition to the squad, but is he needed at the moment? No.”
Daniel Farke eyes move to sign striker ‘better than Josh Sargent’
As Leeds continue to work on potential new additions to their squad should they achieve promotion, a new striker has emerged as a top target at Elland Road.
Norwich City star Josh Sargent has been linked with the move after a terrific season, but Football Insider revealed on 1 March that Leeds want to sign a striker “better than Sargent”.
Cameron Archer has also been spoken about after Farke’s side tried to sign the Southampton striker in the January transfer window but could not reach an agreement.
Meanwhile, Leeds could move to sign Tammy Abraham as the former Chelsea forward’s contract at Roma is set to expire at the end of the current season.
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