Jobe Bellingham has just made headlines following a big-money move from Sunderland to Borussia Dortmund, despite the Black Cats booking their place in the Premier League alongside Leeds United.
Sunderland won the Championship play-off final last month; a feat that Leeds United couldn’t achieve last year but didn’t need to this time round, after Daniel Farke steered the club towards the Championship title.
Farke will remain in charge of Leeds United for next season and we’re bound to see a very busy summer transfer window at Elland Road, with reports that Leeds United have a £150million transfer budget for this summer.
And Sunderland will surely spend big, too. They’ve already completed the permanent signing of loan hero Enzo Le Fee whilst also cashing in on Jobe Bellingham, who’s completed a move to Borussia Dortmund worth an initial £28million.
It’s one of the highest-ever fees for a Championship player, though not the highest (that was Romeo Lavia from Southampton to Chelsea for £58million in 2023), and it’s a move that’ll surely see other Championship clubs bump up transfer fees for any of their own exciting talents.
We could well see that be the case with Jack Rudoni.
Photo by Hendrik Deckers/Borussia Dortmund via Getty ImagesFrank Lampard’s stance on Leeds United transfer target Jack Rudoni revealed
Leeds United have been linked with Rudoni at Coventry City following the 23-year-old’s impressive 2024/25 season, in which he scored 10 goals and assisted 12 more in 45 total league fixtures. But Sky Blues boss and Leeds United nemesis Frank Lampard is determined to keep his talisman for next season.
Club insider Andy Turner has written for Coventry Live that the club may need a big player sale this summer and that Rudoni is Coventry City’s ‘most saleable asset’. But ‘Lampard will want to do all he can to keep the attacking midfielder’, Turner adds.
MORE LEEDS UNITED STORIES
Turner then discusses Bellingham’s move to Dortmund and suggests Coventry City are in a ‘strong position’ regarding Rudoni, who is under contract until 2028, as Turner adds ‘it would take a significant fee’ for the Sky Blues to part ways with Rudoni this summer.
Why a Leeds United move for Jack Rudoni was already all but over
If this latest insight wasn’t enough to persuade Leeds United that a move for Rudoni is just about impossible, then previous reports will make that clear.
Soon after Leeds’ initial interest was reported, it was then revealed that Rudoni is happy to stay at Coventry City beyond this summer, and happy playing under Lampard who was really getting the best out of Rudoni in the second half of last season.
What’s more is that many Leeds United fans and even Coventry supporters might say that Rudoni isn’t a Premier League player just yet, or that Leeds wouldn’t be that good of a fit: although Leeds United desperately need to upgrade current no.10 Brenden Aaronson this summer.
Don Goodman doesn’t think Leeds United are a good fit for Rudoni and that might well be the case. For Farke, it looks like it might be time to move on from this particular signing, and explore new avenues.