Leeds United boss Daniel Farke will be keen to accelerate his potential plans for the January transfer window and now looks to be well down the line regarding a potential sale at Elland Road, according to a report.
Leeds falter in promotion race with defeat at Preston
Realistically, Farke has to perform something of a squad rebuild upon arrival at Elland Road as he was tasked with the chance of revitalising a club who endured a turbulent campaign last year. At the halfway point of 2023/24, it would have to be deemed that the German coach has done a decent job in his new capacity, with his side well in the race for promotion from the Championship.
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Summer arrivals like Joel Piroe and Ethan Ampadu have all gone on to become key cogs in his machinery in Yorkshire. At the same time, enhancing existing players' abilities such as Crysencio Summerville, Georginio Rutter and Daniel James has helped to give the Whites a genuine chance of returning to the English top-flight at the first time of asking – between them, that trio have registered 41 goal contributions this campaign.
However, the Whites faltered on Boxing Day as Illan Meslier was sent off in a 2-1 defeat at Preston, with Liam Millar grabbing a late winner to severely damage Farke's hopes of finishing the campaign in the top two.
Come January, shipping players out of the door will be a useful avenue to generate cash for incoming deals, and the Whites are in an unusually advantageous position concerning potential outgoings due to the large quantity of players who are currently away from Elland Road on a loan basis. Now, it looks as if one loanee is now well on his way to departing Leeds on a permanent deal ahead of the January window, according to a report.
Marc Roca could leave Leeds United permanently…
According to Football Insider, Leeds and Real Betis are in talks regarding a permanent deal for Marc Roca, who joined the La Liga outfit in the summer window on loan.
Marc Roca's time at Real Betis – all competitions (FBRef)
Shot creating-actions
52
Expected goals
1.0
Expected assists
1.1
Progressive passes
79
Progressive passes received
12
The report states that Roca is keen to leave Elland Road for good and has instructed his agent to sever ties with the Whites following his departure earlier this year that came about due to a relegation release clause. Spending just one season in Yorkshire, the 27-year-old has since gone on to be a key player at the Benito Villamarin Stadium, featuring regularly in the Spanish top-flight and Europa League.
Labelled "hardworking" by former boss Julian Nagelsmann, Roca has appeared on 25 occasions this campaign across all competitions, registering two goals and four assists (Roca statistics – Transfermarkt).
Nevertheless, his time at his parent club looks to be coming to an end and selling him would allow Leeds to recoup some of the £10 million they paid to sign him for back in 2022 from Bayern Munich.