Leeds' Ezgjan Alioski 'agrees pre-contract' with Galatasaray

Leeds United's Ezgjan Alioski is likely to leave the club when his contract expires this summer, with Galatasaray said to have a pre-contract agreement with the utility man.

Alioski has been a regular for Marcelo Bielsa's side this season making 29 appearances across all competitions, with the majority of those coming at left-back. His deal is due to run out at the end of the current campaign, but negotiations over fresh terms haven't been fruitful.

After four years at Elland Road, it now seems likely that the North Macedonian will leave the club, and Turkish giants Galatasaray have reportedly moved to snap him up on a free transfer.

While there are no details about the reported agreement with the club from Istanbul, Football Insider claim that it is a done deal and he will be leaving in the summer.

It seems a strange move, considering Alioski himself has publicly stated that he would 'love to stay' at the club when talking to the BBC earlier this season, while his manager Bielsa has also spoken fondly of his number ten.

Leeds will now need to replace the 29-year-old left-footer, who is capable of playing in several positions and has been key to the Bielsa system that he has implemented since joining the club back in 2018.

Alioski joined the club in 2016 as an attacking midfielder, hence the shirt number, and has featured 162 times so far for the club, scoring 22 goals and creating 16 more. Despite those attacking talents, his work rate has been praised by Bielsa and was part of the reason he was moved to left-back in the attacking system the Yorkshire side deploy.

He is expected to represent North Macedonia in this summer's European Championship, with the minnows in Group C alongside Ukraine, the Netherlands and Austria, before making his move to the Turkish Superlig.