Leeds Transfer News: Farke in talks for £13m ace perfect for his system

Leeds United have entered negotiations for a Bundesliga midfielder as they close in on their first permanent signing of the winter window.

Daniel Farke’s side are on a strong run of form as they look to become the first team to win the Championship and stay up since 2023.

Their last-gasp win over Fulham – who were the last side to achieve that feat – helped maintain an eight-point gap between themselves and the drop, while the Whites have only lost once since the start of December.

The January window has handed Farke the opportunity to add some finishing touches to his squad and get them over the line.

Leeds have already welcomed Facundo Buonanotte on loan from Brighton, and have reportedly made progress on another midfield addition.

According to Fabrizio Romano, Leeds have entered negotiations for Werder Bremen star Romano Schmid, with talks ongoing.

The respected journalist has claimed that a package worth €15m (£13m) plus add-ons is being discussed, with Leeds “keen” on the Austria international.

Schmid has been at Werder Bremen since 2019, following his move from RB Salzburg, and has been one of the club’s most potent sources of creativity.

Contributing to 48 goals in 175 senior appearances, you can see why Leeds are targeting a player of his ilk amid their upturn in form.

With Farke and Leeds getting a lot of joy since a successful tactical switch, dropping a 4-3-3 setup for a 3-5-2 formation, the arrival of Buonanotte and approach for Schmid suggests the Whites are keen to bolster central attacking options in the midfield.

Brenden Aaronson has been deployed centrally at times, but has hardly been known for his goalscoring output in a Leeds shirt, albeit while enjoying his best campaign in that regard, as he is on course to better last season’s tally of 11 goal contributions despite promotion to the top flight.

Schmid would arrive as an experienced top-flight player, while his stats suggest he could offer more attacking impetus in a system that he knows well, with Werder Bremen deploying various back-three setups throughout the past few seasons.

With this and his relatively affordable transfer fee in mind, Schmid certainly looks like he ticks all the boxes for Leeds’ survival bid and beyond.

Graduated in Sport Journalism (BA) with first-class honours from the University of Brighton and has since had bylines in The Times, sports business publication SportsPro, Football FanCast and The Gooner fanzine.