A deal for Leeds United to sign free agent Cheikhou Kouyate collapsed for different reasons than what has been reported previously, according to a new update. The Whites are enduring an injury crisis, as Daniel Farke has not been able to call upon several of his key first-teamers for a few weeks now, and he now looks keen to enter the free agent market to ease his squad worries.
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ByBen BrowningOct 20, 2024 Leeds United chasing free agent signing
Leeds are keen to bolster their options in the midfield department, as injuries to Ethan Ampadu and Ilia Gruev have left the Championship side extremely short in that department of the team. The Yorkshire outfit are able to sign a player who is currently a free agent, and they have had their eye on three possible options.
Christoph Kramer has been training with Leeds recently in a bid for the German to earn a contract at the club. The midfielder has been without a home since leaving Borussia Mönchengladbach at the end of last season, and last week it was reported he was training at Thorp Arch.
Leeds are also considering signing Josuha Guilavogui, who used to play for Wolfsburg and Atlético Madrid. He is one of several players that the club is looking at, and the midfielder was even spotted with a fan after the Whites’ win over Sheffield United last Friday. The 34-year-old has been a free agent since being released by Mainz at the end of the 2023/24 campaign, but has plenty of experience at both international and domestic levels.
Kramer and Guilavogui are not the only names that Leeds have considered, as Cheikhou Kouyate looked to be closing in on a move to Elland Road before a move fell through.
Kouyate deal collapsed due to financial demands
According to TEAMtalk, Cheikhou Kouyate’s move to Leeds United fell through amid concerns over his financial demands. The former Nottingham Forest man has been without a club since leaving the City Ground in the summer, but last week he appeared close to joining the Whites.
It was originally thought that Kouyate failed his Leeds medical and it was the Leeds medical staff who called for the plug to be pulled on a deal, but it seems the issue was actually upstairs.
It has now been claimed that the player’s financial demands were the reason a deal didn’t go through. The 34-year-old has spent the last 10 years playing in England, representing West Ham, Crystal Palace and Forest, so it would be no surprise for his agent to demand top flight level wages and perhaps a signing bonus to boot.
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Kouyate played 36 times for Forest during his time at the club and helped them stay in the Premier League. The midfielder has never played in the Championship before, but his experience of English football would have been a welcome boost for a team like Leeds.