Leeds United are working to secure manager Daniel Farke on a new long-term contract, with managing director Robbie Evans insisting both parties remain aligned as negotiations continue.
Farke, who led Leeds to promotion from the Championship in 2024-25 before steering the club to a 14th-placed finish in the Premier League and a run to the FA Cup semi-finals last season, is currently working through the final year of his existing deal. Despite the uncertainty over his future, Evans made clear that the club views Farke as central to their plans going forward.
"As far as the contract discussions themselves, Daniel and his team and I have had really good chats for the past three months and they're all on the same page," Evans said. He added that the situation differs from previous negotiations with the German coach, referencing his original appointment in 2023 and a deadline-day renewal since then. "Unlike signing him back in 2023 or doing a deadline day deal kind of thing the time pressure is far reduced and so we have a time to get it right as far as what he wants and what we want."
Evans dismissed suggestions that the prolonged talks signal any friction between the two sides. "I don't feel it's taking a long time. It just means we're getting it right and also we have time to get it right and so as long as we're still operating together as a group, and we're doing great on that front, I'm not worried," he said, before reaffirming the club's stance: "The short answer is that he's done great, we want him to be here long-term and we're working on it."
Leeds have made five points from their opening three Premier League fixtures this season under Farke, who oversaw a busy summer transfer window. The club brought in England goalkeeper James Trafford from Manchester City in a deal reportedly worth up to £45m, along with defenders Tarik Muharemovic and Nico Elvedi, and winger Harry Wilson from Fulham. On deadline day, Leeds further strengthened their squad with the additions of Nice defender Melvin Bard and Eintracht Frankfurt forward Jean-Matteo Bahoya.
Evans expressed satisfaction with how the transfer business was conducted, contrasting it with the previous summer. "I think last year the phrase was we had a good window and a bad deadline. I would say this summer was a good window and a good deadline," he explained. He credited the club's early planning for allowing them to pursue additional targets after securing their primary objectives. "The key for us was we had a couple of top objectives to accomplish and those all got done early in terms of a left-footed centre-half, right winger and goalkeeper... So we're quite satisfied with the window."
The summer also saw Netherlands international Pascal Struijk depart for Brighton in a deal reportedly worth £20m, completed on 30 June — the deadline for clubs to comply with profit and sustainability rules (PSR), a framework now being replaced by the squad-cost ratio (SCR) system.
Evans revealed the club had anticipated needing to sell more than one player to meet the regulations, but Leeds' deep FA Cup run and restrained January spending eased that pressure. "I was pretty confident coming into the year we'd have to sell some guys in June. Frankly it was the FA Cup run and the minimal work in January that kept it being just one player," he said. He noted that interest in Struijk had been evident for some time and that the defender helped facilitate a swift resolution. "We were prepared for that possibility all season... having that news early was helpful, but we had, like always, various contingencies for Pascal."
Based on reporting from BBC Sport Football.