Unthinkable Leeds triple sale on cards if promotion push falls short to give Farke huge headache

Leeds United could be forced to sell three key players if the club fall short in their bid to secure promotion to the Premier League, it has emerged.

After being relegated last season, Leeds had looked well placed to secure an instant return to the top flight after embarking on a 15-game unbeaten run from the start of the new year.

However, the club’s promotion push has faltered alarmingly in recent weeks with Daniel Farke’s side winning just one of their last five games.

Damaging defeats to Coventry City and Blackburn Rovers have seen Leeds fall behind Ipswich Town and Leicester City at the top of the Championship table.

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Leeds have just three games left to reclaim a place in the automatic promotion spots, with Monday’s crucial trip to Middlesbrough followed by potentially decisive clashes with Queens Park Rangers and Southampton.

Having recently posted a £33.7million loss in their accounts for the 2022/23 financial year, the consequences of failing to achieve promotion are unthinkable for the Yorkshire club.

Summerville, Gnonto and Gray to head for Leeds exit?

And it has emerged that three players – Crysencio Summerville, Wilfried Gnonto and Archie Gray – are poised to exit Elland Road if Leeds are forced to spend another year in the Championship.

The talented trio have all attracted Premier League interest over the course of an impressive season, which has seen Leeds overhaul a considerable points deficit to Leicester – at one stage the runaway league leaders – to join the race for automatic promotion.

Appearing on the Inside Track podcast, transfer guru Pete O’Rourke revealed that the prospect of missing out on Premier League riches will allow interested clubs to move for the likes of Summerville, Gnonto and Gray at reduced prices with Leeds in need of the money.

Summerville, who was recently crowned the EFL’s Championship Player of the Season, has been heavily linked with a switch to Chelsea over recent months.

TEAMtalk exclusively revealed in February that the Dutch winger has been identified as a potential option by the Stamford Bridge club, with Leeds poised to fight off interest in Summerville this summer even in the event of promotion.

Meanwhile, 18-year-old Gray – who scooped the Championship Young Player of the Season gong at the EFL’s end-of-season awards ceremony – has reportedly attracted interest from the likes of Liverpool and Bayern Munich during a stunning breakthrough season.

However, TEAMtalk reported on Thursday that Gray – who signed a contract extension in January to remain with Leeds until the summer of 2028 – and his representatives are unlikely to agitate for a move in the summer, with Elland Road still regarded as the best place for his development.

Gnonto was marginalised by Farke at the start of this season after signalling his intention to leave amid interest from Everton, returning to the first-team picture to contribute with crucial goals against Bristol City, Sheffield Wednesday and Millwall during Leeds’ unbeaten streak at the start of 2024.

Although Leeds have been linked with offering a new contract to the 20-year-old since his mid-season revival, it remains to be seen whether Gnonto would be willing to extend his stay if the club miss out on promotion.

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