Leeds United have dipped into the transfer market to make four additions to their playing squad during the current summer transfer window so far.
Daniel Farke has added Joe Rodon on a permanent deal, after his loan spell at Elland Road, Alex Cairns, and Joe Rothwell, on loan from Bournemouth, to his squad.
The German head coach has also recently acquired Jayden Bogle from Sheffield United, officially welcoming him to the club on Saturday afternoon.
Their Championship rivals were said to be demanding a fee of £7m for the full-back, with it reported since the move was completed that they have paid a "significant, undisclosed fee".
Whilst Leeds welcome Bogle from across Yorkshire, the club have struck gold with one star who could return to the squad like a new signing for Farke at the start of next season – Pascal Struijk.
How much Leeds paid for Pascal Struijk
The Dutch defender signed for Leeds in January 2018 under the reign of Andrea Radrizzani on a free transfer from Ajax and initially joined as an academy player, rather than a first-team addition.
He only made five league appearances in his first 18 months at the club under Marcelo Bielsa, with all five of those outings coming during the 2019/20 title-winning campaign in the Championship.
His first market valuation on Transfermarkt came in October 2020, shortly after that season, as they valued him at just €750k (£629k) at the time.
The central defender then went on to play 27 or more games in each of the team's three years in the Premier League, as he established himself as a regular in the first-team.
Leeds struck gold with Struijk
At the time of writing, Transfermarkt values the 24-year-old enforcer at a whopping €15m (£12.6m) and that is significantly more than his first valuation of €750k four years ago and more than the £7m Sheffield United wanted for Bogle – who is one year younger than him.
This shows that Leeds struck gold when they signed Struijk on a free transfer as his value has skyrocketed over the years and he has emerged as a key first-team player for the club, which highlights his value on the pitch and financially as an asset.
Unfortunately, the Dutch ace missed the last 29 games of last season with a groin injury and that forced Ethan Ampadu to fill in at centre-back.
Appearances
23
Goals
3
Pass accuracy
90%
Ball recoveries per game
6.1
Ground duel success rate
61%
Aerial duel success rate
61%
As you can see in the table above, Struijk caught the eye during the first half of the season when fit as the defender won the majority of his duels on the deck and in the air, whilst being very reliable in possession.
The left-footed star, who was described as a "cornerstone" of the club's future by Farke, could return from injury like a fresh signing for Leeds next term, as they have been without his talents since New Year's Day.
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It now remains to be seen whether or not the Whites will stump up the £7m required to sign Bogle but Struijk could walk back into the team like a £12.6m-rated new signing ahead of the 2024/25 campaign.
