Leeds United transfer rumours as Whites challenged by…

Leeds United transfer rumours as Whites challenged by own player to extend his contract

Here is your Leeds United transfer gossip on Sunday, October 16.

Leeds United challenged by own player to extend his contract

Leeds United defender Pascal Struijk has challenged his own club to extend his contract, saying 'it would be nice' to stay in Leeds for the foreseeable future.

The 23-year-old has been filling in for regular starter Junior Firpo at left-back this season and has been one of the Whites' standout performers, playing every minute of their campaign so far.

Speaking to Dutch sports outlet Voetbalzone, Struijk spoke about the situation with Junior Firpo's return from injury and how much he loves living in Leeds.

"Will his [Junior] return change my situation? For now, it creates extra pressure, because if I don’t play well, I’ll lose my place. I do think it’s good for me, because it also keeps me sharp.

"I don’t know who is going to play and I don’t know what the coach wants. Of course, my goal is to give him no choice but to field me. If the choice does not fall on me in the end, I can always go to the centre [of the defence].

"To clear my head, I have to get out of that ‘soccer bubble’ every now and then. Leeds itself is a nice city. If you’ve just come here, it’s different if you’re used to Rotterdam or Amsterdam, because it’s an industrial city, but the longer you stay there, the more you love the city and people."

Struijk’s current deal at Elland Road runs down in 2024. As he is enjoying life at Leeds, the ex-Ajax academy player is aiming to land a new deal from the Premier League side.

"In the summer, I played golf a lot. We now have a group of guys who have qualities… Rasmus Kristensen, Illan [Meslier] and me. We are looking for a fourth player, but now we also play with our fitness coach Pierre [Barrieu].

"It’s really competitive, but we have to make sure we don’t get injured. If we were to get injured, they would really go crazy at the club. We try to keep it somewhat calm.

"At least for now I’m really enjoying myself at Leeds and it would be nice if they were willing to extend my contract. I feel good here and I focus on Leeds."

Leeds United target signs new contract extension with £120m release clause

Benfica midfielder Florentino has signed a new contract with the Portuguese side which will keep him at the club until 2027.

The 23-year-old is one of European football's biggest young stars which is shown in the huge release clause of £120 million that clubs would need to match if they want to open talks about signing him.

While yet to make his debut for the senior Portugal national team, he has made 12 appearances for the Under-21s and 18 with the Under-20s in the past and has impressed at the Portuguese club so far this season.

The Whites were linked with the player back in the summer of 2020 after their promotion to the Premier League and they opened talks with the then 18-year-old but nothing came to fruition.

Leeds United transfer rumours as Whites challenged by own player to extend his contract

Leeds United challenged by own player to extend his contract

Leeds United target signs new contract extension with £120m release clause

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