Leeds told to act quickly to secure £12.9m man to new deal as double exit warning is issued to Farke

Leeds United have been warned they should act swiftly to tie important players Sam Byram and Junior Firpo to contract extensions quickly – while the Whites have been told they must lower their demands if they are to sell one of their unwanted loanees.

Daniel Farke’s side returned to winning ways on Saturday as they eased to a 2-0 win over 10-man Cardiff in South Wales to move back into the top six of the Championship, having taken 11 points from their six games played to date. And with the Championship promotion race likely to offer up many twists and turns along the way, Leeds will need to deploy the depths of their squad to ensure they go one spot better than last season’s narrow miss.

One man who has become vital to their cause in recent times is Junior Firpo, with the Dominican Republic international proving one of their most consistent performers this calendar year.

However, with his contract due to expire at the end of the season, Leeds are at risk of losing the £12.9m former Barcelona man on a free transfer at the end of the current campaign.

It’s a similar situation with utility player Byram, who signed a one-year extension over the summer.

And now former Leeds player Carlton Palmer, speaking to Football League World, has explained why the Whites need to act swiftly to sign them to extensions as soon as possible.

“They have both played a really big part at the start of the season, Byram making four appearances and Firpo being a part of five,” Palmer stated.

“Unless there is undisclosed extension triggers that we don’t know about, then we’ll have to wait and see. Obviously, they could sign pre-contract deals in January, but I’m sure Daniel Farke rates the two players really highly, they’re both great options for the squad.

“He won’t want to lose those players for nothing, that’s for sure. It’s a difficult time because the season’s kicked off, but time will tell whether they trigger an extension or get their contracts extended for another year, but I am sure they’ll want to sit down and sort something out.”

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Leeds must avoid losing Firpo for free as contract stance emerges

TEAMtalk recently revealed that Firpo was open to signing an extension with Leeds, though the Whites were happy to delay any decision for now, putting them at risk at losing him on a free.

Palmer, though, warned: “In particular, you won’t want to lose someone like Firpo for free after paying £10-15m to acquire him from Barcelona. They’ve already made significant starts for Leeds United this season, but that’s the problem when you’re a manager, there’s always something ongoing or pressing.

“The priority is for Leeds to get promotion this season, so they will want to try and sit down and negotiate extensions for these players for at least another season.

“The one thing that will happen is that Farke will sit down and speak to the Leeds hierarchy and if they do not extend these players’ contracts, they’ll already be trying to identify the players they’ll look to bring in come January.

“These decisions will determine the outcome of the season. They need to get it right.”

Leeds handed Rasmus Kristensen sale warning

One man who doesn’t appear part of Leeds’ long-term plans is Rasmus Kristensen, with the Denmark international sent out on loan by the Whites once again this season.

Having spent the 2023/24 season on loan with Roma, Kristensen has been sent to Germany with Eintracht Frankfurt, where he has made five appearances so far, featuring in all 450 minutes.

That arrangement contained an option to make the loan permanent for a set fee of €13m (£10.8m, $14.4m) next summer.

And while the Bundesliga side are understood to be happy with the player, they are concerned the fee Leeds have set is already beyond them and it’s reported by Fussball.News that they will need to bring the price down if they are to secure his signing on a permanent basis.

Meanwhile, Leeds United are reportedly at risk of another costly departure next summer already, with Tottenham reportedly hoping to reunite Archie Gray with another talented Whites youngster in 2025.

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