Ilia Gruev had looked one of the certainties to be at Leeds United next season after the play-off final defeat to Southampton.
That day at Wembley marked the end of Gruev‘s debut campaign at Elland Road having only joined from Werder Bremen in a £5 million deal at the back end of last summer.
Daniel Farke was the driving force behind the move after coming up against him during his time as Borussia Monchengladbach boss, but it did take some time for him to make an impact.
Gruev started just two matches in his first four months as a Leeds player but finally came into his own from the 3-0 victory at Cardiff City in mid-January onwards.
His introduction into the team coincided with Leeds’ run of 12 wins in 13 league matches, and so has a great foundation to build on going into his second campaign.
How Leeds have reacted to Dortmund interest in Gruev
Just a few days after Leeds’ loss to Southampton, Gruev was, out of no where, linked with a move to Bundesliga giants and Champions League finalists Borussia Dortmund.
Dortmund scouts were in attendance at Wembley to watch Gruev in action last month, with Leeds having also rejected a bid from a Premier League side before the play-off final.
Reports in Germany have indicated Leeds would be open to offers for Gruev this summer, though surely for them to be entertained, it has to be a significant profit on the figure they paid 10 months ago.
However, according to Leeds Live, those claims have actually been met with shock on the faces of those behind-the-scenes at Elland Road.
It is said due to the close proximity of Leeds’ defeat at Wembley and the news of the interest, there were ‘quizzical looks’ once the reports came to light.
It will certainly be interesting to see whether Dortmund or any other clubs decide to firm up their interest in the 24-year-old.
Leeds could look at Oliver Skipp if Gruev departs
Given how much he played in the second half of the season, Leeds would certainly have to replace Gruev if he was to leave.
There is no doubt Ethan Ampadu will return to midfield after his stint at the back, but Leeds will not want to leave themselves any shorter in the engine room.
And one man they are reportedly looking at if someone like Gruev departs in the coming weeks is Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Oliver Skipp.
Skipp is well known to Farke from his days at Norwich City and would be a significant coup at this level. You would even go as far as saying he is a definite upgrade on Gruev.