Leeds United are on the verge of finalizing a deadline-day loan deal for Nice left-back Melvin Bard, a move that includes an option for the club to sign the Frenchman permanently at the end of the season.
Under the terms being agreed between the two clubs, Leeds will pay an initial fee of one million euros to secure the loan. Should the Yorkshire side wish to make the transfer permanent once the campaign concludes, they would need to pay a further five million euros to Nice.
Bard, 25, was due to travel to Elland Road on transfer deadline day to undergo a medical examination before the move can be officially confirmed. His arrival is intended to strengthen Leeds' options at full-back, an area of the squad that has looked thin in recent weeks. Currently, Gabriel Gudmundsson stands as the only recognized left-sided defender available to manager Daniel Farke, making Bard's arrival a timely reinforcement.
The defender would become the sixth senior addition of the summer for Leeds, following the earlier arrivals of goalkeepers James Trafford and Michael Zetterer, defenders Nico Elvedi and Tarik Muharemovic, and forward Harry Wilson. The flurry of signings underlines the scale of Farke's rebuilding project as he looks to strengthen the squad across multiple positions.
While the Bard deal appears close to completion, Leeds' business elsewhere on deadline day has been more complicated, particularly in attack. Willy Gnonto, who had been expected to depart on loan and return to Serie A, was in Florence finalizing a switch to Fiorentina. However, that departure was originally contingent on Leeds identifying a suitable replacement for the Italian forward.
Those plans were disrupted when Leeds' attempt to sign Chelsea winger Mykhailo Mudryk fell through after Tottenham Hotspur intervened and completed a move for the player themselves, effectively hijacking the deal Leeds had been pursuing. The failure to land a replacement forward has added an extra layer of uncertainty to Leeds' attacking options as the transfer window draws to a close, even as Gnonto's own exit continued to progress in Italy.
Farke's side have been active throughout the summer window as they aim to build a squad capable of competing following their return to the Premier League. The additions of Trafford and Zetterer have addressed goalkeeping depth, while Elvedi and Muharemovic bring further options to the defensive line. Wilson's arrival was seen as bolstering the attacking department, though the Gnonto situation shows the squad is still very much in flux at the top end of the pitch.
The capture of Bard, assuming the medical is completed without complications, would represent a shrewd piece of business for Leeds, giving them cover and competition at left-back for a fraction of what a permanent transfer would typically cost upfront. The structure of the deal, with the option rather than obligation to buy, also gives the club flexibility depending on how Bard performs during the remainder of the season.
As deadline day activity continues, all eyes will remain on Elland Road to see whether the Bard deal is formally completed and whether Leeds can address the void left by Gnonto's expected departure before the transfer window closes.
Based on reporting from BBC Sport.