Fabrizio Romano confirms that the France international has signed for Liverpool

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

The Whites are six games unbeaten in the Championship after beating Watford at Elland Road on Tuesday night, recording back-to-back home wins and lifting themselves to the top of the table. However, after losing both Ethan Ampadu and Ilia Gruev to knee injuries in recent weeks, their midfield resources are stretched to the bone.

Fortunately, Leeds have two quality replacements in Joe Rothwell and Ao Tanaka, both of whom have not only appeared in midfield but appear to have provided their midfield with much more dynamism than the Ampadu and Gruev combination.

But in the absence of experienced cover, Leeds have looked to the free agency market to fill a gap – and they have now opted for that man in Guilavogui.

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

With the January window opening in just 70 days, Leeds have also been linked with a move for Liverpool midfielder Tyler Morton after he failed to impress Arne Slot. The 21-year-old has previously made 79 appearances in the Championship during loan spells at both Hull and Blackburn, but has only eight minutes of action as a substitute in the Carabao Cup so far this season.

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

HAVE YOU SEEN? ~ Jurgen Klopp vs Leeds claims emphatically rejected as Farke gives ‘clear’ answer to sack talk

Farke will be happy if another body comes through the door

With little to no cover for Rothwell and Tanaka, boss Daniel Farke has indicated that more cover is needed as Leeds are ‘one or two injuries away from disaster’.

And after Leeds tested a number of different test subjects – 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 for Guilavogui and with the added bonus that the 34-year-old can also provide cover in central defense if necessary.

Speaking last weekend, Farke had outlined exactly what he wanted from every free agent coming in.

“It is very important not to talk about names, but the profile is important. We are weak in terms of midfield option. Ethan was our first choice, the backup would be Ilia,” said Farke.

“We are also a bit thin in the center back position. Max (Wober) is out and hasn’t really been available since he came back in the summer, although he is a bit ahead of schedule. We have to take into account that Pascal (Struijk) had an injury record on his resume, Joe Rodon has four yellow cards.

“Ideally we would bring in a deep-lying midfielder who can also handle the center back role, but he has to accept a role where the main man comes back, Ethan is the first choice, and our center backs.

“He would come as a back-up solution, to bring his experience and teach and train our young players. He should come in with the attitude to improve them. When a young player struggles with the pressure that comes with playing for a club like Leeds United, in order not to crack, we need a player who has experience and this mentality.

“This is what we are looking for. It’s not easy, but we have a few ideas and I’m cautiously optimistic that in the next few days or two weeks we’ll have a chance to come up with a good solution.”

Latest Leeds transfer news – Bamford exit talk flares up / Orta signs former favourite?

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

The 31-year-old is behind Joel Piroe and Mateo Joseph in the pecking order this season after being limited to just 132 minutes of action in all competitions.

Now Farke has spoken out about the player’s situation, his future at Leeds and made a major 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 south amid claims Victor Orta is exploring a temporary deal to bring the teenager to LaLiga .

Who is Joshua Guilavogui?

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

The midfielder completed a €10 million 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.

The following two years he was loaned out to VfL Wolfsburg and won the DFB-Pokal and DFL-Supercup in 2015, while also reaching the quarter-finals of the Champions League in 2015/16.

The France international – who made seven appearances for the country between 2013 and 2015 – joined the Bundesliga permanently 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 the 2023/2024 season and was involved in a horrific on-pitch collision against Bayern Munich in March.

He was knocked unconscious after crashing into a teammate’s knee and swallowing his tongue, but the referee rolled him over into the recovery position and prevented him from potentially choking.