Jaka Bijol is a 26-year-old right-footed Slovenian centre-back, and having spent the last three years in the Italian top flight with Udinese, is all set to seal a €22m (£18.8m) move to Leeds United following their promotion back to the Premier League.

Bijol has made 95 appearances for Udinese in all competitions across three years with the club, becoming a mainstay in their back line. In the 2024/25 campaign, Bijol played the second-most minutes in the Udinese squad, behind only Jesper Karlstrom. Ahead of the last campaign, in July, the Slovenian was appointed vice-captain of the club.

Leeds, along with the other two promoted sides, Burnley and Sunderland, are widely considered the three favourites to return to the Championship, given the strength of the competition in the Premier League now.

Having already acquired the services of Lukas Nmecha following his contract expiry at Wolfsburg, Whites boss Daniel Farke has sounded out the Slovenian international as one of his primary targets ahead of what will no doubt be a challenging season for the Yorkshire club.

With Joe Rodon, Pascal Struijk and Ethan Ampadu all capable of playing centre-back within the Leeds ranks, Bijol will bring some much-needed experience, competition and depth, especially with Max Wober reportedly on the transfer list.

Jaka Bijol: Career so far

Born in Vuzenica, Slovenia, Bijol began his career with NK Dravograd, who now play in the fifth tier of Slovenia. In 2014, he would move to fellow Slovenian side, NK Bravo, who currently compete in the top flight in his native country.

From there, he would spend three years in their academy before experiencing first-team football for the first time when he moved to current second-tier side Rudar Velenje in 2017.

After one season and 30 appearances in the Slovenian first division, Bijol caught the attention of Russian giants CSKA Moscow, who purchased the then 19-year-old for around €400k on a five-year contract.

He would spend three seasons in Russia between 2018-2022, making a total of 96 appearances for CSKA, with a loan stint in the 2020/21 campaign with German second-tier outfit Hannover 96, where he predominantly played as a defensive midfielder, playing 30 games and starting in 25.

Interestingly, he was played in a variety of positions during his time in the Russian capital, having played as a centre-forward, attacking midfielder, defensive midfielder and centre-back, outlining his versatility to competently play numerous roles and positions. In his final season in Russia, Bijol made the permanent transition to centre-back.

With one year left on his contract in the Russian capital, Italian Serie A side Udinese agreed a deal worth up to €4m to sign Bijol on a five-year deal.

Since his switch from Moscow to Udine, the 26-year-old has played in almost every game he has been available for, only missing matches through injury or suspension.

In the 2023/24 campaign, Bijol missed 14 games between December and March due to a scaphoid fracture.

The Slovenian stalwart appeared in 34 Serie A matches in the season just gone, captaining the club from north-west Italy on 12 occasions in the process.

Bijol made his debut for the Slovenian national team in October 2018 and has since gone on to make 63 appearances for his country, scoring one goal.

At EURO 2024, he played every single minute for his nation as Slovenia ultimately were knocked out on penalties to Portugal, though his performances earned him a place in WhoScored’s Group Stage Best XI, with an average rating of 7.33.

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What is Bijol like as a player?

Standing at 1.90m (6ft 3in), Bijol is not your modern-day ball-playing centre-back – he prioritises keeping the ball out of the back of the net above anything.

Amongst centre backs, he ranks in the 93rd percentile for aerial duels won at 3.31 per 90, and in the 88th percentile for passes blocked at 0.18 per 90 in the last year.

Bijol thrives when putting in slide tackles and intercepting the ball within his box. His physical prowess makes him a strong tackler of the ball, able to use his body to justle opposition players away without regularly giving away fouls.

Despite his height, Bijol is surprisingly quick, enabling him to play in a high line as his recovery speed allows him to cover long distances if the ball is played over or through the defensive line.

Given he is athletically blessed, this has coincided with the Slovenian proving to be a huge threat from set plays, able to outmuscle and outjump opposition. Though this is an area where Bijol can look to improve on, as whilst he has averaged 0.58 shots per 90, this has only resulted in one goal during the 2024/25 season.

But one of the most interesting and impressive areas of the 26-year-old’s game is his willingness and ability to play long balls, as amongst centre backs he has ranked in the 91st percentile for long balls attempted (10.30 per 90) and the 90th percentile for long balls completed (6.32 per 90).

Leeds can expect Bijol to help alleviate sustained pressure with his ability to play long balls up to the forwards and avoid taking any unnecessary risks when playing out from the back.

Given his capacity and history of playing in a defensive midfield role, Bijol excels in stepping out of the backline at the right times to make an interception, exhibiting excellent aggression and decision-making skills, something which could prove to be game-changing for Farke’s side.

What can Leeds fans expect?

With three years in a top-five European league and ample international experience under his belt, at 26, Leeds are getting a strong, aggressive and forward-thinking centre-back coming into his prime.

Although he played the first part of his career in defensive midfield, expect Farke to play him in his now-favoured centre-back position.

During his three years in Italy, Udinese have more often than not set up with a back three, with the Slovenian able to play anywhere across that back line. He does, however, have experience of playing in a two-man centre back partnership in a back four during his time at CSKA Moscow and sporadically at Udinese.

Given his flexibility and versatility, he can play in multiple roles should Farke decide to switch from the 4-2-3-1 he almost always deployed with the Whites during their title-winning campaign.

With links to Lille’s left wing-back Gabriel Gudmundsson following Junior Firpo’s departure, Farke may be thinking of switching to a back-three formation for certain games next season, something which Bijol will take little adapting to.

Whatever the German manager decides to deploy, Bijol will almost certainly be a starter at Elland Road next season on Leeds’ return to the Premier League.