Fabrizio Romano confirms Leeds have signed France international as Liverpool star is linked with January move

Leeds United will soon confirm the signing of former France international Josuha Guilavogui to add much-needed depth to their midfield pool – while the a Liverpool star has been linked with a move to Elland Road ahead of the January window.

The Whites are six matches unbeaten in the Championship having beaten Watford at Elland Road on Tuesday evening to record back-to-back home wins and elevate themselves level top of the table. However, having recently lost both Ethan Ampadu and Ilia Gruev to knee injuries in recent weeks, their midfield resources are down to the bare bones.

Thankfully, Leeds have two quality replacements in Joe Rothwell and Ao Tanaka, both of whom have not just stepped up to the plate, but appear to have offered their midfield much more dynamism than seen with the Ampadu and Gruev pairing.

However, with a lack of experienced cover beyond that, Leeds have looked to the free agency market to try and plug a gap – and they have now settled on that man in Guilavogui.

The 34-year-old was recently on the books of Mainz but left the Bundesliga side at the end of his contract last summer, but now Romano has confirmed that his move to Elland Road has been agreed, posting simply on his X account: ‘Joshua Guilavogui has signed his contract to join Leeds United as free agent, deal completed. Official statement to follow.’

With the January window opening in just 70 days time, Leeds are also being linked with a move for Liverpool midfielder Tyler Morton after he failed to make an impact on Arne Slot. The 21-year-old has made 79 appearances in the Championship during loans at both Hull and Blackburn before that but has just eight minutes of action as a substitute in the Carabao Cup so far this season.

And amid claims Liverpool are open to loaning out the England Under-21 midfielder in January, FootballLeagueWorld have touted Morton as a target for the Whites.

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Farke will be happy to get another body through the door

With little to no cover for Rothwell and Tanaka, boss Daniel Farke has indicated the need to bring in more cover with Leeds ‘one or two injuries away from disaster’.

And after Leeds put a number of different trialists through their paces – they had looked at former West Ham and Crystal Palace man Cheikhou Kouyate before his wage demands reportedly derailed the deal – they have now settled on Guilavogui and with the added bonus that the 34-year-old can also cover in central defence if required.

Speaking over the weekend, Farke had outlined exactly what he wanted from any free agent coming in.

“It’s most important not to speak about names but the profile is important. We’re thin on the holding midfield option. Ethan was our first choice, the back-up would be Ilia,” Farke said.

“We’re also a bit thin on the centre-back position. Max [Wober] is out and was not really available since he came back in the summer, although he’s a bit ahead of schedule. We have to keep in mind Pascal [Struijk] had an injury record in his CV, Joe Rodon is on four yellows.

“In an ideal situation we’d bring in a deep-lying midfielder who could also cope with the centre-back position but he needs to accept a role where the main man comes back, Ethan is first choice, and our centre-backs.

“He would come in to be a back-up solution, to bring his experience and teach and educate our young players. He should come in with the attitude to improve them. If a young player is struggling with the pressure with playing for a club like Leeds United, to not crack, we need a player who has experience and this mentality.

“This is what we’re searching for. It’s not easy but we have a few ideas and I’m carefully optimistic that we’ll have the chance to bring a good solution in the coming days or coming two weeks.”

Latest Leeds transfer news – Bamford exit talk heats up / Orta to sign former favourite?

Meanwhile, Farke has done little to deflate speculation that Patrick Bamford is unhappy at his lack of minutes at Leeds this season amid speculation the experienced former England striker could be set to leave Elland Road.

The 31-year-old has fallen behind Joel Piroe and Mateo Joseph in the pecking order this season, having been limited to just 132 minutes of action across all competitions.

Now Farke has spoken out of the player’s situation, his future at Leeds and making a big claim about how the club would have secured promotion last season had the player not suffered an injury.

Elsewhere, former Leeds midfielder Archie Gray has already been linked with a surprise move away from Tottenham just a matter of months after moving down south amid claims Victor Orta is looking into a temporary deal to bring the teenager to LaLiga.

Who is Josuha Guilavogui?

Born in France in September 1990, Guilavogui came through the academy at Saint-Etienne and went on to make over 100 first-team appearances for the club.

The midfielder completed a €10million move to Atletico Madrid in the summer of 2013 but made just seven appearances for the club and was loaned back to Saint-Etienne in January 2014.

He spent the following two years on loan at VfL Wolfsburg and won the DFB-Pokal and DFL-Supercup in 2015, while also reaching the Champions League quarter-finals in 2015/16.

The France international – who made seven appearances for the country between 2013 and 2015 – joined the Bundesliga side on a permanent deal in 2016 and was appointed club captain in 2018.

“Josh is the kind of player whose value cannot be measured by numbers alone,” VfL Wolfsburg sporting director Marcel Schafer said after his departure in 2023.

“He has achieved great things over a long period of time, both on and off the pitch. With his commitment and his exemplary mentality, he is a shining example of the values of VfL Wolfsburg.

“We will miss him as a footballer, as a person and also as a cheerful character in the dressing room.”

The 34-year-old made 12 appearances for Mainz 05 in 2023/24 and was involved in a horror on-field collision in a game against Bayern Munich in March.

He was knocked out after colliding with a teammate’s knee and swallowed his tongue, but the referee rolled him over into the recovery position and prevented him from potentially suffocating.