Leeds United Nears Melvin Bard Signing for Left-Back Cover

Leeds United are moving quickly to plug a gap at the back, with Nice defender Melvin Bard on the brink of arriving at Elland Road on deadline day.

The 25-year-old Frenchman is set to join on an initial loan, with Leeds agreeing to pay the Ligue 1 side around one million euros for the season. Built into the deal is a clear escape route if it goes well: an option to buy Bard for a further five million euros at the end of the campaign.

Bard is travelling to West Yorkshire to complete his medical, with Leeds pushing to get everything signed off before the window slams shut. Daniel Farke has been short on genuine left-sided options, and the move is designed to ease that strain.

Right now, Gabriel Gudmundsson is the only natural left-back at the manager’s disposal. One injury, one suspension, and the balance of the back line starts to creak. Bard’s arrival would immediately thicken the competition in those full-back areas and give Farke more freedom with his defensive shape.

While Leeds look close to solving one problem, another is opening up at the top end of the pitch.

Willy Gnonto is in Florence finalising a switch to Fiorentina, a move that will take him back to Serie A. Leeds had tied that loan deal to one condition: they wanted a replacement lined up before letting the Italian forward walk out of the door.

That safety net has already snapped.

Leeds pushed for Chelsea winger Mykhailo Mudryk as the answer, only to see Tottenham step in and hijack the move. With Mudryk gone and Gnonto edging towards the exit, the club’s attacking depth is under fresh scrutiny.

Bard’s signing would steady one side of the pitch. The real test now is whether Leeds can find the same clarity in the final third before the clock runs out.