Leeds United Close in on Melvin Bard Deal

Leeds United are closing in on a deal for Nice left-back Melvin Bard as a frantic deadline day unfolds at Elland Road.

The 25-year-old French defender is travelling to Yorkshire to undergo a medical ahead of an initial loan move, with Leeds negotiating an option to buy at the end of the season. The agreement would see Leeds pay Nice an upfront fee of one million euros, with the right to make the transfer permanent for a further five million euros next summer.

For Daniel Farke, it is a badly needed reinforcement. Gabriel Gudmundsson is currently his only natural left-sided full-back, and the lack of depth in that area has loomed over Leeds’ early-season planning. Bard’s arrival would immediately ease that pressure and give Farke a more balanced defensive unit.

The late scramble on the left flank comes against a backdrop of uncertainty in attack. Willy Gnonto is in Florence putting the finishing touches on a move to Fiorentina, a return to Serie A on an initial loan. That deal, though, was not straightforward. Leeds were only prepared to let the Italian forward go once they had lined up a replacement.

They thought they had one. A move for Chelsea winger Mykhailo Mudryk gathered pace, only for Tottenham to step in and hijack the deal, leaving Leeds’ attacking plans in limbo as the clock ticked down.

So Leeds push on with Bard, shoring up one side of the pitch while questions remain at the other. With the window about to slam shut, Elland Road is left juggling defensive security and attacking risk in a single, high-stakes afternoon.