Leeds United Close to Signing Nico Elvedi from Borussia Monchengladbach
Leeds United have struck an agreement to sign Borussia Monchengladbach defender Nico Elvedi – but the move is stuck in a holding pattern.
Daniel Farke’s side have already pieced together an assertive summer, intent on shoring up their Premier League status before the new campaign kicks off next week. Harry Wilson, Tarik Muharemovic and James Trafford are through the door, yet Elland Road still feels busy, still feels unfinished. The next piece of the puzzle is meant to be at centre-back.
Pascal Struijk’s departure left a gap in the heart of defence and Leeds have turned to a familiar face for their manager. As reported by Sky Sports Germany journalist Florian Plettenberg, Leeds and Borussia Monchengladbach have agreed a fee of €10m (£8.5m) plus a 15% sell-on clause for Elvedi. Personal terms with the Swiss international were sorted earlier in the week. On paper, everything lines up.
It doesn’t. Not yet.
The transfer hinges on what happens with Sebastiaan Bornauw. The Belgian has been strongly linked with a move to Hamburg after a difficult spell in England, where he has managed just nine Premier League appearances since joining from Wolfsburg. Elvedi is viewed as his direct replacement, and without a deal in place for Bornauw, Leeds are not ready to pull the final trigger on the Gladbach defender.
So the club waits. Bornauw’s future remains unresolved, and that uncertainty drags Elvedi’s move into a kind of limbo.
In Germany, though, the situation already feels very real. Elvedi has been left out of Borussia Monchengladbach’s squad for their pre-season friendly against Aston Villa on Saturday afternoon. The decision is precautionary: the Bundesliga side do not want to risk an unnecessary injury that could wreck the transfer.
His omission underlines how advanced talks are. When a player is pulled out of match action, it usually means everyone involved understands what is at stake.
For Farke, the timing is tight and the options are thinning. With Bornauw’s future unresolved and Elvedi sidelined pending developments, Leeds’ centre-back pool currently boils down to Joe Rodon, new arrival Muharemovic and Jaka Bijol. Ethan Ampadu and James Justin can both cover in central defence if required, but neither is a specialist in that role at this stage of their Leeds careers.
It is exactly the kind of scenario that makes managers twitchy a week out from the season.
Farke, though, knows precisely what he is trying to bring in. Before taking over at Leeds in 2023, he spent a year in charge at Gladbach and worked closely with Elvedi. Under the German coach, the Swiss defender became a central figure, a player Farke trusted and leaned on.
The admiration was never hidden. During his time in the Bundesliga, Farke called Elvedi “one of the best defenders in Europe” when operating at his peak and labelled him “an absolute leader for us.”
That is the profile Leeds are chasing now: a defender Farke understands inside out, a leader he has already built a back line around once before.
The agreement is there. The player is ready. Gladbach have started to protect the asset.
All that stands between Leeds and their next defensive cornerstone is the fate of Sebastiaan Bornauw – and the clock ticking down to opening day.
