Leeds United have agreed a deal to sign Sebastiaan Bornauw from Wolfsburg
Leeds United are on the cusp of welcoming their third summer signing to Elland Road, with Belgium international defender Sebastiaan Bornauw to undergo a medical at Thorp Arch later on Monday, while the Whites have also received a major update on their chances of prising Nick Pope away from Newcastle United.
The West Yorkshire side have already signed one new centre-half this summer, agreeing a £15m deal to bring in Slovenia international Jaka Bijol from Udinese. And having also moved to bring in striker Lukas Nmecha from Wolfsburg, Leeds United are now poised to raid the Bundesliga side for a second time this summer – this time for Bornauw.
The 26-year-old defender has just a year remaining on his deal and the Whites have taken advantage of his depleting deal to strike a bargain £5.1m (€6m, $7m) deal to bring the four-times capped Belgium international to Elland Road.
And according to the Yorkshire Evening Post, Bornauw will undergo a medical at their Thorp Arch training complex on Monday afternoon after jetting in earlier in the day and amid claims that personal terms on a three-year deal has already been agreed.
A player with 178 career appearances to his name, he will provide further cover and competition for Bijol, Joe Rodon and Pascal Struijk to play in the heart of the Leeds defence and will enhance the chances of the injury-hit Max Wober being allowed to leave in the coming weeks.
While Bornauw’s arrival is seen as a smart business, it will not mark the end of their defensive additions, with a new left-back very much on their wishlist.
And with Junior Firpo expected to sign for secure a return to Real Betis in the coming days – a story first revealed by TEAMtalk back in September of last year – the Whites are pushing to secure a deal for Lille’s Sweden international Gabriel Gudmundsson.
Leeds see Nick Pope hopes take a nosedive
While we understand Leeds are pushing hard to secure the signing of Gudmundsson and remain hopeful they can convince him to sign, they are also in the market for a new No.10, a striker and a goalkeeper as well this summer.
One man strongly linked with a move to Elland Road is Newcastle keeper Nick Pope, whose future at St James’ Park has been thrust into doubt by the Magpies’ imminent swoop for James Trafford from Burnley.
And with Eddie Howe signing Trafford as his new first-choice keeper, that has enhanced talk that Pope, with just a year left on his deal, will be allowed to leave.
However, as we have previously reported, any choice over Pope’s future will be left in the 33-year-old’s hands, but with Howe very much open to keeping him to battle with Trafford for the gloves.
Now, according to The Athletic, they have doubled down on our report and claim there remains a strong chance that Pope remains on Tyneside for the 2025/26 campaign.
“If Newcastle United do sign James Trafford this summer, sources close to Pope, who remained anonymous to protect relationships, have indicated the veteran will stay at St James’ Park and fight for his place.
“While Pope seems unlikely to be the solution at Leeds, [Illan] Meslier’s contract is another reason this debate should come to a head this summer.”
Leeds transfer latest: Real Madrid respond to striker links; target off to Sunderland
Meanwhile, Real Madrid’s stance on Gonzalo Garcia’s future has come to light, amid reports Leeds were ready to offer a fee worth around £17m (€20m) for the dynamic young striker. At the same time, Los Blancos manager Xabi Alonso’s views on the forward have also emerged.
Sunderland are also among the clubs said to be keen on the 21-year-old striker, with the two Premier League new boys having already squared off, to some extent, over one player already this summer.
And in case you missed it over the weekend, it is the Black Cats who have won the race to sign Strasbourg midfielder Habib Diarra after Fabrizio Romano confirmed Regis Le Bris’ side had come steaming in with a colossal offer that has now been accepted – and leaving Leeds to instead chase a big-name alternative.
And finally, Leeds soon hope to announce a new deal for Dan James after we exclusively broke the news last week that the Whites are confident of tying down the Wales winger down to a new deal.
Who is Sebastiaan Bornauw?
A product of the Anderlecht academy, Bornauw played 25 times at first-team level in Belgium before moving to Germany with Cologne in 2019.
Over the course of two seasons there, he made 57 appearances. During his time as a Koln player, in October 2020, he made the first of four senior caps for his national team, Belgium.
After a brush with relegation in 2021, he made the step up to Champions League participants Wolfsburg. Making 31 appearances in his debut season, Bornauw quickly settled into his new surroundings. As of 2025, he is four away from a century of appearances for Wolfsburg – but he will be leaving them before then.
In the 2024/25 Bundesliga season, Bornauw battled with some injury issues, making 16 appearances but scoring twice.
Despite – or perhaps because of – his relatively lower gametime, he ranked in the 98th percentile of Bundesliga centre-backs for shots blocked per 90 minutes (1.37) and 92nd percentile for aerials won per 90 minutes (4.11).
The right-footed centre-back was described on the Bundesliga website back in January 2020 as “uncompromising in one-on-one combat, confident in build-up play, and a threat from set pieces.”
Standing at 6 ft 3 in tall, he is a big aerial presence who now looks ready to test himself in the Premier League with Leeds.