On their re-entry to the Premier League, Leeds United will know that their defence will have to be much firmer than when they last struggled in the top division.

Relegation at the close of the dismal 2022/23 season saw the Whites give up a league-worst tally of 78 strikes, with their respectable haul of 48 goals scored completely pushed to one side by their constant dire displays at the back.

Daniel Farke must be worried that his side will be equally as porous on their return to the top-flight, with Udinese centre-back brute Jaka Bijol now reportedly closing in on a deal to join the growing Elland Road ranks.

However, Leeds might not be done there with standout defensive additions, with a fresh report now linking the newly promoted side to a Premier League-ready left-back.

Leeds interested in move for £5m defender

Responding to the news that Junior Firpo won't stick it out at Leeds, with the full-back heading in the direction of Real Betis, Farke and Co could now win a new left-back.

Well, according to Football Insider, they have revealed that Aston Villa figure Alex Moreno is now interested in the prospect of signing for Leeds.

While the player is seemingly keen, the Whites should be too, particularly because he'd tick plenty of boxes as they hunt down a cheap replacement for the departing Firpo.

It has been widely reported that Moreno could be available for around the £5m ballpark this summer, with Real Betis, Real Sociedad, and Sunderland all also keen on the 32-year-old, according to Football Insider.

This is a signing Leeds must persist with because Moreno could be an even better buy than Bijol walking through the door in terms of bolstering their defensive numbers, alongside the ageing full-back also being a major threat in attack like Firpo.

Why Moreno could be a better signing than Bijol

Whilst it's paramount that Leeds find a suitable Firpo replacement, it's arguably not the most pressing concern that the Whites hunt down plenty of new centre-backs.

After all, Farke already has Pascal Struijk, Ethan Ampadu, and Joe Rodon at his disposal in this position, with the imposing trio just fresh off collecting a combined clean sheet total of 55 during last season's whirlwind promotion success.

Of course, there's no harm in adding Bijol to the building, considering the intimidating Slovenian just shone in a top-five European league, notably winning a high 4.8 duels per game, but Leeds only have a waning Sam Byram to call upon in the left-back spot as Firpo heads for the exit door.

Therefore, snapping up Moreno for only £5m feels like a no-brainer move to make and could perhaps be seen as a more urgent deal to get over the line than Bijol's due to Leeds' depleted options otherwise.

Whilst Moreno hasn't always been the most stable defensive option in the top-flight with only seven clean sheets collected from 55 appearances to date, he has consistently shown off his class in attack to be a fitting stand-in for the loss of Firpo, with six goal contributions also picked up.

The ex-Barcelona defender did amass a far heftier 14 goal contributions last season, but the Dominican Republic international had struggled in the big time previously, with a lesser four goal contributions tallied up from 43 overall clashes.

Therefore, it could be deemed vital that Leeds seal a deal for the "pure class" left-back soon, as he was once glowing labelled by journalist Lee Clarke.

On the contrary, whilst Bijol would definitely boost Farke's men in the heart of defence, they are already strong here. Whereas, Moreno would really enhance the Whites' options on the left channel in the wake of Firpo's expected exit.