Sebastiaan Bornauw's desire for regular first team football has forced Leeds to look for alternative options at centre-back cover this summer, and the club have moved quickly, with the search opening the door to a fourth summer signing in Nico Elvedi. The deal for Elvedi is now down to the paperwork and the medical according to the media. Personal terms on a contract until 2029 have been agreed, and the club to club fee has now been settled too, with Borussia Monchengladbach accepting a fee of up to €10m plus a 15 percent sell-on clause.
Bornauw's situation has come as a surprise to plenty of fans who felt he'd done well this pre-season, starting against Sunderland, Liverpool and RB Leipzig and playing the full 90 minutes against Manchester United, even covering at left-back against Liverpool as we came from behind to win 4-2. Farke has been full of praise too, saying his valuation of Seb is very high and that he'd happily keep him at the club. But the strong performances of Rodon and Bijol last season, plus the arrival of Muharemovic this summer, mean Bornauw is realistically viewed as reliable and versatile cover rather than a guaranteed starter. That's clearly not enough for him and at 27 he wants to be playing regularly rather than fighting for scraps. Hamburg have been circling for a while and look the most likely destination, but their financial situation means an initial loan and option to buy is the deal on the table.
Nico Elvedi was quickly identified as the likely replacement and he's about as known a quantity as you can sign from outside the Premier League. He's spent the best part of a decade at Gladbach, racking up well over 300 Bundesliga appearances and 73 caps for Switzerland along the way. He's right footed, comfortable at centre-back or right-back, and turns 30 next month, older than any player who featured for us last season and well beyond the mid-twenties sweet spot the club generally targeted in last season's window. Like the Harry Wilson deal, this is a signing built on experience rather than developing a young player for the future. Farke managed Elvedi himself during his time at Gladbach before he took the Leeds job, so this one comes down to trust as much as anything else. He knows exactly what Elvedi offers, and that counts for a lot compared with taking a punt on an unknown.
Bornauw arrived twelve months ago as a squad option from Wolfsburg, and although he's shown himself to be a dependable option when called upon, he never quite forced his way into being first choice. Elvedi arrives as someone who has been a first choice for the best part of a decade, in a league not far off our own in quality, and who already knows how Farke wants his defence to play. But is it a deal which makes sense for Leeds? This summer is about raising the level of the squad, both in terms of the starting XI and bench. Our previous three signings so far this summer certainly do that, but this one feels different. Letting a player go to a club with no cash on loan, whilst we spend €10 on a two year old replacement feels like a waste of funds, especially when we are constrained by SCR and still have a second choice goalkeeper, left back cover and a striker to bring in. I don’t begrudge Bornauw first team football but it’s a move that appears to come at our cost.
Regardless, it’s a deal which seems to be progressing with German transfer insider Florian Plettenberg declaring Elvedi a done deal with full agreement now reached between the two clubs on that €10m plus 15 percent sell-on structure, with the paperwork being finalised and the medical being prepared. Farke gave the clearest hint yet after yesterday's pre-season game. He said he has to be careful what he says on Elvedi but doesn't want to lie either, admitting there is something close. He was equally candid on Bornauw, confirming he's on his way out and suggesting a resolution on both fronts should come within the next 24 to 48 hours.