Here are your evening Leeds United headlines on Sunday, June 25.
Read more: 49ers Enterprises have open goal to scratch Leeds United's 6-year itch with first transfer message
Rio Ferdinand makes eye-watering Leeds United transfer claim about nine-figure fee
Leeds United would stand to pick up almost six times the amount had they sold Rio Ferdinand this summer. That’s according to the former Whites defender himself, who believes he would be able to command a fee of around £170million had he been a player in today's market.
The BT Sport pundit believes any club would have been forced to fork out around £170m to take him from Leeds and for context that's how much 49ers Enterprises' takeover of Leeds is said to value the club at in its current guise as a Championship club.
“I was £30m back in the day,” Ferdinand said on his FIVE Youtube Channel. "Imagine today, man.
“£100m would be cheap, serious, in today's market. £170m, £400,000 per week, that is what I would be now, I would be that now.”
Read the full story, here.
Kristensen call could open door for three-year Leeds United plan to come to fruition
Unlike others in the Leeds United squad, Rasmus Kristensen’s future looked relatively clear heading into the summer months. The Denmark international struggled to excel during his first year at Elland Road, but in the days that followed Leeds’ Premier League relegation, he is thought to have doubled down on his commitment to the club.
As Leeds Live reported a few weeks ago, Kristensen is understood to be one of the players who informed Angus Kinnear of their desire to stay and fight to get the Whites back to the top flight. It meant that Leeds were approaching the new campaign with at least one position fully stocked.
Reports of the right-back agreeing to join Roma caught many by surprise, then. The 25-year-old is said to have been a long-term target for the Italian outfit and Kristensen has responded positively to an approach made in the last few days, which is somewhat understandable, given the size and stature of the Stadio Olimpico club.
The deal is not done with an agreement still be reached with between the two clubs, according to reports, but given the options Leeds already have, there’s no reason to suggest they would be resistant to losing the former Red Bull Salzburg man, just one year after signing him. The Whites still have Luke Ayling contracted for another year, of course, and he’s guaranteed to provide a big presence around Elland Road this season.
But, they also have Cody Drameh on their books and Kristensen’s proposed departure might well end up being the opportunity he has been waiting for at Elland Road. Drameh has cut a frustrated figure over the last couple of campaigns in West Yorkshire.
Read the full story, here.
Ex-Leeds United coach gives Daniel Farke seal of approval as Whites' manager search nears end
Former Leeds United assistant coach Rene Maric believes Daniel Farke would be a success at Elland Road if he were to get the job. Leeds return to pre-season training in one week and with the new Championship season kicking off at the start of August, the club will be keen to make rapid progress at Thorp Arch.
However, as it stands they don’t have a head coach to lead the Whites into the new campaign, having parted company with Sam Allardyce following Premier League relegation. Interviews have been held this week with Angus Kinnear and Paraag Marathe and an appointment is expected to be made in the coming days.
Patrick Vieira, Scott Parker and Carlos Corberan have been amongst those linked heavily to the role throughout the summer so far, but Farke remains the favourite to land the job with most bookmakers pricing him as odds-on. The German knows the Championship well and he has experience of promotion, too, having led Norwich City to the Premier League on two separate occasions.
That experience may well carry a lot of weight in Leeds’ selection process and a United decision is now considered to be imminent. Farke certainly has Maric’s backing for the role, though.
“Great character, class coach for a class club,” Maric wrote on social media when asked about Farke’s potential switch to West Yorkshire. “Hope they will go straight up, really wishing them well (if it happens).”
Read the full story, here.
