Leeds reportedly linked with FC Union Berlin defender Kristian Pedersen

Ah, the silly season is truly upon us again.

Leeds United have yet to settle the left back position after the departure of Charlie Taylor at the end of last season. Cameron Borthwick-Jackson was brought in on-loan from Manchester United, and he was quickly dispatched to the bench after a number of underwhelming performances. He returned to Manchester United after his loan was cancelled in January.

Laurens De Bock was signed from Club Brugge during the January transfer window, but his play was less than stellar, with a horror showing in the match against Derby County, and he has never seemed settled in England. He’s been out for a while after suffering an injury and has been forgotten about to a certain extent.

Other than those two, the club had to rely on right-footed fullbacks, a converted midfielder in Vurnon Anita, and even right-footed winger Stuart Dallas as fill-in at left back. Tom Pearce came through at the end of the season, but he’s a young player with not a ton of experience playing at the senior level, and his future might lie as a left winger, with his ability to get forward greatly overshadowing his defensive ability.

Now there comes a link to a left back from the German 2nd division and FC Union Berlin. According to Bild, Leeds are reportedly interested in Kristian Pederson, a 23 year-old left back. Pederson is a former Denmark U21 international who has appeared 32 times for FC Union Berlin in the 2017-18 season, scoring one goal and getting three assists. Pederson is in his second season at the Berlin club after transferring to the 2.Bundesliga club from Danish club HB Köge.

What does this link mean for Leeds? At the very least, it appears that the club is looking to move on from Laurens De Bock. He’s been disappointing since his move, and perhaps he’s requested a move back to Belgium. Tom Pearce has been brilliant since his debut, but he’s not ready to be a full-time left back in the Championship.

So will this transfer actually happen? Who knows. Links from overseas have tended to be more accurate than UK based links, but we’ve seen some links from Germany never pan out. Better than average chance, but don’t get ready to buy a shirt just yet.