Leeds United Nears Loan Deal for Nice Defender Melvin Bard

Leeds United are closing in on a deadline-day move for Nice defender Melvin Bard, as Daniel Farke scrambles to reinforce his left flank and reshape his attack in the final hours of the window.

The Championship club have agreed an initial loan for the 25-year-old, with an option to buy at the end of the season. Leeds will pay Nice around one million euros up front, with a further five million euros required to make the deal permanent next summer if Bard convinces at Elland Road.

Bard is travelling to Yorkshire on deadline day to undergo his medical, a late arrival aimed squarely at solving a clear imbalance in Farke’s squad. At present, Gabriel Gudmundsson is the only natural left-sided full-back available, leaving Leeds exposed in a position that has already felt stretched.

The Frenchman’s arrival would ease that strain and give Farke genuine competition on the left, something Leeds have lacked. It also lands at a moment of uncertainty higher up the pitch.

Willy Gnonto is in Florence finalising a move to Fiorentina, a switch that will take the Italian back to Serie A. His loan back to Italy hinged on Leeds securing a replacement, a plan that took a hit when a move for Chelsea winger Mykhailo Mudryk was dramatically hijacked by Tottenham.

Leeds now push to close Bard’s deal while weighing up their next attacking step, knowing the clock on this window will not wait.