Leeds United's £80m transfer solution to emulate Brenden Aaronson promotion plan

Leeds United are facing up to a summer of some cost-cutting before Daniel Farke can begin to plot his next Championship promotion campaign. Failure to clinch a Premier League spot at the first time of asking has meant some re-evaluation at Elland Road, with some big-name stars likely to be moved on.

The summer transfer window has already been dominated by talk of interest in Crysencio Summerville and Willy Gnonto, with Leeds at least likely to land a suitably hefty price for the widmen should they leave the club. The focus will turn towards incoming transfers once the squad picture emerges from the initial shake-up - but Leeds already have plenty of 'new' arrivals heading to Thorp Arch in July for pre-season.

The Whites had a plethora of players out on loan last season - some who opted for a move away after relegation from the Premier League, and others for more routine reasons of first-team football and falling out of the picture under Farke. Leeds have already made a big decison on USA international Brenden Aaronson, with Farke informing the 23-year-old that he will be part of his squad next season.

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That suggests he is already planning without some of his key attacking players, with Aaronson more than capable of slotting in as a creative force in the coming campaign. It also begs the question which of the other returning loanees could follow suit and join the promotion push.

Some, such as Marc Roca, appear destined to emluate Robin Koch and seal a permanent move away, with Real Betis keen to keep Roca in Spain. However, the future of many others is less clear - with around £80m worth of talent returning to Elland Road this summer.

Aaronson may be the headline name, but Jack Harrison's future is one Farke will look to clear up quickly. Everton would be open to keeping him at Goodison Park after a mixed spell on loan, but the Merseyside club could be hamstrung by financial restrictions, especially if Sean Dyche decides to prioritise other areas in the transfer market.

Despite recent injury issues, Harrison would stand out at Championship level and could be a ready-made replacement for Summerville, should Liverpool or Chelsea follow up their interest in the Dutchman.

At the back, while Farke continues to look for a suitable right-back to allow Archie Gray to return to his midfield role, the returning Rasmus Kristensen could be seen as one to tick that box. The Dane is another to have had an up-and-down loan spell at AS Roma in Italy, finding gametime difficult to come by under Jose Mourinho but featuring more under Daniele de Rossi.

Like Kristensen, Max Wober and Diego Llorente will return to Leeds and could solve a potential problem position. Joe Rodon has returned to Spurs after his successful loan and, while Farke would like to bring him back to Elland Road, Wober in particular would be an ideal replacement.

Borussia Monchengladbach were keen to keep him in the Bundesliga, but are reportedly some way off Leeds' demands for the Austrian. He's a player they could sell to recoup some transfer funds, but equally he could line up alongside Ethan Ampadu in the heart of the defence. Llorente also appeared to leaving on a permanent deal, but Roma are yet to make a final decision.

Cody Drameh and Sam Greenwood both appeared to be heading for the Elland Road exit doors when loan moves were agreed last season, with Drameh heading to Birmingham without a contract extension. However, the right-back many feel has a big future at the club has since been offered a new deal, while Greenwood has come back from Middlesbrough with more experience under his belt at Championship level.

Some of the retuning loanees will no doubt leave before the season gets under way in August, but Leeds cannot afford to reckon without at least some of the players who watched last season's efforts from afar.