Leeds Utd transfer news: Whites set to announce Brenden Aaronson signing after secret Victor Orta agreement

Leeds United are closing on the signing of Brenden Aaronson after securing their place in the Premier League for next season.

The Whites were made to wait until the last possible moment to secure survival. A tense final day saw Leeds win 2-1 at Brentford and closest challengers Burnley fall 2-1 at home to Newcastle. And after being put through the ringer, Leeds celebrated their moment with pure jubilation.

After the match, Marsch was clearly delighted with his players’ resolve, but claims he never once doubted their quality to survive.

The Leeds boss was also refusing to answer questions on possible incomings and outgoings over the summer.

However, he did admit he will have a meeting with club officials in the next few days to discuss plans for next season.

“We all need a deserved break. It’s been a stressful time,” he said. We will have a meeting in a few days to build the roster and this club to represent what we want to be. A teams always changes. From the academy upwards, we want to maximise potential.”

Quite what the Leeds team will look like next season remains anyone’s guess at this stage.

However, Leeds are reportedly closing on the capture of USA star Aaronson having secured safety.

They saw two offers for the RB Salzburg man fail in January, with Leeds seeing £15m and £20m rejected.

However, director of football Victor Orta did travel to Austria at midway through the month for talks with Salzburg officials.

Orta agreement done for Salzburg man

We understand Orta secured an agreement with Salzburg to seal the signing at the end of the season. That was always, however, subject to Leeds securing Premier League safety.

And with that now in the bag, Leeds are expected to move swiftly and push through an agreement in the coming days.

That news has also now been relayed by trusted transfer guru Fabrizio Romano.

He tweeted: “Leeds are now close to sign Brenden Aaronson from RB Salzburg. Deal in place for months and now set to be completed with Leeds staying in PL, fee around $30m (£24m).”

Salzburg’s refusal to sanction a January deal left Leeds without any signings in January.

However, Leeds Utd were always confident a summer deal could be secured with the club hoping all is plain sailing from here.

Brenden Aaronson himself is also understood to have given Leeds his word over a move. As such, it would be no surprise to see the American become Leeds’ first signing of the summer.

Aaronson signing may come with Raphinha caveat 

While Leeds will soon hope to get that signing over the line, the club will face a tough battle to keep Raphinha.

The Brazilian star, a scorer in the win at Brentford, struck 11 times for Leeds this season.

However, Barcelona are chasing him hard amid claims they have launched a huge opening bid.

Leeds know that the winger is a real gem and a player who deserves to play at the highest level.

Leeds winger Raphinha agrees terms with Barcelona

Leeds United winger Raphinha agrees personal terms with Barcelona but deal between clubs is yet to be done

And while they would love to keep him, the club would find it hard to stand in his way.

The key for Leeds, though might be to ensure they hold out for Raphinha’s true value. In the modern market, he is a player who could comfortably command a fee upwards of £50m.

Discussing his future, and that of Kalvin Phillips, Marsch was giving little away after the win at Brentford.

“I can’t,” he replied when asked if he had any assurances on their futures. “Being honest, I haven’t even enquired. I read more than I am told!”