With the end of June, we see the end of two Leeds United favourites’ contracts at the club. Jack Harrison’s third loan spell with the club ended whilst Ezgjan Alioski’s contract has expired after much speculation on whether he would sign a new deal or not. Harrison has notched up 128 appearances, scoring 18 goals during his three year loan spell at Leeds whilst Alioski has made 171 appearances, scoring 22 goals since his transfer from Lugano back in 2017. But what does the future hold for both players?
Ezgjan Alioski
Left back is certainly one of the areas Leeds United are looking to improve this summer and any moves in the transfer market would have meant opportunities would be limited for Alioski next season. The rumour that Barcelona star Junior Firpo is due to sign enforce this view and it’s understandable why Alioski would look for other options rather than sign the new contract Leeds United had offered him. There has been speculation all year regarding a possible move to the Turkish Super Lig for Alioski. Initial links with Galatasaray were understandably not received well by Leeds United fans, a move there would surely have tainted Alioski’s reputation at Leeds and memories of him whilst at the club.
But now another Turkish club, Trabzonspor is looking likely to be Alioski’s next destination. Some may recognise the Trabzon club as the destination of Caleb Ekuban who has made 69 appearances for the ‘Black Sea Storm’ since his move from Leeds. According to Thursday’s Fotomac frontpage Trabzonspor look closest to agreeing a deal with Alioksi, claiming the player hasn’t been able to attract the offers he expected and now looks ‘warmly’ at Trabzonspor. They are offering a golden handshake of €500k, according to reports with a salary of €1.2m a season.
If the West Brom game was Gjanni’s last appearance in the white shirt of Leeds it’s sad that he didn’t get the send-off he deserved!
Jack Harrison
The Manchester Evening News are reporting that Jack Harrison is finally set to make his Leeds move permanent in the next week or so. The Manchester City winger will join permanently for a fee starting at £11 million but could reach £15 million with add-ons. Harrison never appeared in the City squad during his time over the Pennines, spending virtually his entire career out on loan but the Manchester club are likely to include a sell on clause in the deal, as they do for all their young players. James Marshment at TEAMtalk is reporting this to be in the region of 20%.
The signing of the deal could be delayed though. After the end of the reason Harrison headed out to Costa Rica for some well deserved rest and relaxation. However, the winger’s choice of vacation spot means that he is now having to quarantine in a hotel on his return to the UK as Costa Rica has now since been added to the Covid red list. The deal is likely to be signed an announced, complete with the obligatory pen to paper photos, once his quarantine is over. He will then return for his fourth season at Thorp Arch, this time as a permanent Leeds United player.
