Ethan Ampadu has already seemingly committed his future to Leeds United for the upcoming season.
Ampadu was one of Leeds‘ top performers after his arrival from Chelsea almost 12 months ago, winning the club’s player of the season award.
But after the Whites’ failure to win promotion back to the Premier League, a lot of the club’s best players have been linked with moves elsewhere amid the apparent need to sell.
Ampadu undoubtedly falls under that category but has already told Leeds supporters on Instagram that he will be here next term, which is a major boost.
For the first time in his career, the 23-year-old has managed to find himself a permanent home at Elland Road after numerous loan spells away from Chelsea, and clearly he wants to make the most of it.
Graham Smyth shares Leeds stance on Ilia Gruev future
With Pascal Struijk set to return from injury and Leeds on the lookout for new centre-backs, Ampadu will hopefully return into midfield for the start of next season.
He will add to a strong set of options in the middle of the park that also consists of Ilia Gruev, Glen Kamara and Archie Gray.
Gruev and Gray have both actually been linked with exits from Leeds this summer, the latter of which speculation is growing stronger and stronger as Europe’s top clubs start to circle.
Incidentally, Borussia Dortmund have been mentioned as potential destinations for both, though Leeds’ stance on Gruev has now been revealed by the Yorkshire Evening Post.
It is said the 24-year-old is as likely to remain at Leeds as Ampadu this summer, which as mentioned, is a near certainty.
The report adds that Leeds have ‘not set their sights’ on making any changes to their deep-lying midfield options, as they look to ensure there is some form of continuity going into next season.
Why selling Gruev could actually make sense for Leeds
Much of the speculation surrounding Gruev’s future has come from Germany having spent so many years there at Werder Bremen before joining Leeds.
After a slow start to life in West Yorkshire that saw him start just two league matches in four months, he enjoyed a really impressive second half of the campaign.
That is exactly why multiple Bundesliga clubs are said to be watching him, and Leeds should use that to their advantage.
Gruev is still young, has three-years left on his contract, and having only cost £5 million, there is a big chance to generate some profit there, which would be massive towards PSR.
Potentially doubling or tripling their money on a player who may not even be first choice next season would make a lot of sense, and could even allow them to keep some of their more important players.