Leeds United expect to announce the signing of Sebastiaan Bornauw imminently and he could soon be followed by three more exciting additions at Elland Road – while former loan star Joe Rothwell is closing on a surprise transfer of his own.

While Daniel Farke’s side romped to a 100-tally last season to secure the Championship title and promotion back to the Premier League, those associated with Leeds United knew the hard work was only just beginning. And with all six of the sides last promoted to the Premier League all falling to instant relegation, the Whites knew instantly what a large task they have on their hands.

Indeed, the Leeds side which begins the 2025/26 campaign could look distinctly different from the side that finished the last. And while the Whites have so far welcomed just the two signings in Lukas Nmecha and Jaka Bijol, a third is expected to be announced in due course, with a deal for Bornauw now considered a ‘done deal’.

The 26-year-old centre-back is expected to sign a four-year deal at Elland Road after flying in on Monday to undergo a medical ahead of a £5.1m switch from Wolfsburg.

Confirming the deal to take the four-times capped Belgium international to Leeds was now agreed, Sky Germany journalist Florian Plettenberg posted on X: ‘Sebastiaan Bornauw to Leeds United is considered a done deal. All done and sealed with VfL Wolfsburg.

‘The 26 y/o centre-back will sign a contract until 2029, with the transfer fee up to €6m. Announcement soon.’

The Whites, though, will not stop there and while they have missed out on a deal for Habib Diarra – Sunderland instead moving to meet Strasbourg’s £30m demands – Farke and sporting director Adam Underwood do have two other midfield targets in mind.

Firstly, Belgian reports have revealed Leeds have seen a £12m (€14m, $16.5m) bid rejected for USG’s Noah Sadiki, though the Whites do remain interested in the DR Congo international and could look to launch an improved bid amid rival interest from Brentford.

And secondly, the Yorkshire Evening Post have revealed Leeds are also chasing a deal for Hoffenheim’s towering Germany midfielder Anton Stach – described as a ‘ball-winning specialist’ – though a deal is unlikely to be cheap with Plettenberg previously revealing the 26-year-old was valued in the €15-20m (£13m-£17m) bracket.

At the same time, Leeds United are also turning the screw in a bid to convince a top quality left-back to move to Elland Road….

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The player in question, Gabriel Gudmundsson, has been on Leeds’ radar for a good few months now, with the Whites doing their utmost to convince him to move to Elland Road as a replacement for Junior Firpo.

Firpo’s departure from Elland Road was officially confirmed on Tuesday morning by the Whites, and with TEAMtalk reporting for several months that the Dominican Republic international had agreed a lucrative contract with former club, Real Betis.

As for Gudmundsson, his deal at Lille expires in summer 2026 and his side have cleared him to leave for the right price this summer. In addition to Leeds, Everton have also expressed an interest, though it is Farke’s side who we have been told currently look best placed to seal a deal.

While Leeds confirmed the departure of Firpo on Tuesday morning, the club also bid an emotional farewell to both last season’s loan stars Joe Rothwell and Manor Solomon.

While Leeds remain keen to bring the Israeli winger back, he currently hopes to win favour again back at Tottenham Hotspur under new manager Thomas Frank. Therefore, any decision on his future will likely be placed on hold.

As for Rothwell, Leeds have no plans to sign him permanently, though the classy midfielder does look likely to stay within the 49ers Enterprises set-up with discussions underway over a permanent move from parent club Bournemouth to Glasgow Rangers.

That signing would represent a real coup for the Scottish giants and, with a two-year deal on offer, our transfer correspondent Fraser Fletcher has confirmed extensive talks have already been held with Gers manager Russell Martin.

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On the subject of possible midfield targets, Leeds United are reported to have opened talks with Juventus over a deal to sign Douglas Luiz – and the Italians’ cut-price fee for the Brazil international does give the Whites hope.

Meanwhile, Real Madrid’s stance on a bright attacking star linked with Leeds has come to light, amid reports  the Whites were ready to offer a fee worth around £17m (€20m) for the dynamic young striker.

And finally, Leeds soon hope to announce a new deal for Dan James after we exclusively broke the news last week that the Whites are confident of tying down the Wales winger down to a new deal.

Who is Sebastiaan Bornauw?

By Samuel Bannister

Sebastiaan Bornauw stats for Wolfsburg in 2024-25: Appearances 15 Tackles 9 Interceptions 12 Clearances 36 Shots blocked 12 Aerials won 36 Pass completion 82%

Sebastiaan Bornauw stats for Wolfsburg in 2024-25

A product of the Anderlecht academy, Bornauw played 25 times at first-team level in Belgium before moving to Germany with Cologne in 2019.

Over the course of two seasons there, he made 57 appearances. During his time as a Koln player, in October 2020, he made the first of four senior caps for his national team, Belgium.

After a brush with relegation in 2021, he made the step up to Champions League participants Wolfsburg. Making 31 appearances in his debut season, Bornauw quickly settled into his new surroundings. As of 2025, he is four away from a century of appearances for Wolfsburg – but he will be leaving them before then.

In the 2024/25 Bundesliga season, Bornauw battled with some injury issues, making 16 appearances but scoring twice.

Despite – or perhaps because of – his relatively lower gametime, he ranked in the 98th percentile of Bundesliga centre-backs for shots blocked per 90 minutes (1.37) and 92nd percentile for aerials won per 90 minutes (4.11).

The right-footed centre-back was described on the Bundesliga website back in January 2020 as “uncompromising in one-on-one combat, confident in build-up play, and a threat from set pieces.”

Standing at 6 ft 3 in tall, he is a big aerial presence who now looks ready to test himself in the Premier League with Leeds.