Leeds United failed to win promotion back to the Premier League at the first bid of last season and will now have to prepare for a second year in the Championship.
The Whites lost 1-0 to Southampton in the play-off final at Wembley last month and their failure to return to the top flight could see some of their best talent move away from Elland Road this summer.
Premier League side Brighton & Hove Albion are said to be in contact over a deal to sign Daniel Farke’s star striker Crysencia Summerville and it has been claimed that Italian winger Wilfried Gnonto is eyeing a move back to Italy ahead of the 2024/25 campaign.
Leeds could go deep into the summer transfer window to find replacements for all the key players leaving and they are reportedly keen on a striker who could develop into Summerville 2.0.
Leeds’ take on the teenage sensation
According to GhanaSoccerNet, the West Yorkshire side are one of a number of teams interested in signing Sodndal winger Edmund Baidoo.
The report claims that the Whites are in the mix to secure the signature of the 18-year-old starlet, having settled on the talented youngster.
It states that Brighton, who are also interested in Summerville, have made contact with the player and his agents ahead of a potential move to England.
As well as Leeds and the Seagulls, Scottish giants Celtic and Belgian side Club Brugge are also interested in the right-winger, suggesting that competition for his signature is high.
Why Edmund Baidoo Could Be Crysencio Summerville 2.0
Farke could reveal Summerville 2.0 with Baidoo as the young winger appears to be an impressive prospect with the potential to be a major threat as a scorer and goal creator.
Leeds signed the Dutchman in the summer of 2020 when he was 18, the age the Ghanaian star is now, and it took him until the 2023/24 season to show his full potential in the final third.
the former Feyenoord star has been directly involved in 28 goals in 43 league games – averaging a goal every 1.54 matches.
Meanwhile, Baidoo has scored eight goals and provided six assists in 17 games in all competitions for the Norwegian second division side in 2024.
The 18-year-old ace, described as “in form” by GhanaSoccerNet founder Sannie Daara, averaged a direct assist for a goal every 1.21 disposals with an average of 14 from 17.
In Norway’s 1st division (second division) this year, Baidoo has also averaged an astonishing 4.9 completed dribbles per game with a 68% success rate, which speaks volumes for how direct and direct he is.
These stats suggest that he has the potential to become like Summerville for Leeds if he manages to transfer that form, or at least some of it, to English football in the coming years, his ability to consistently score goals and assists is no guarantee of that happening.
Therefore, the young sensation could come in as a long-term replacement for the Dutch wizard and would be an exciting talent for Farke to work with at Thorpe Arch.