Leeds United central defender Pascal Struijk is facing a defining summer in his career at Elland Road because of his current contractual situation.

The Dutch centre-back's contract in West Yorkshire is currently due to expire at the end of the 2026/27 campaign, which means that he will be free to start speaking with teams outside of England from January onwards.

Football Insider reported last month that the club are set to hold talks with the left-footed ace over a possible new contract after the Premier League season comes to a close.

Leeds play West Ham United on Sunday in the final match of the campaign, which means that talks with Struijk may start next week, or in the coming weeks.

If the 26-year-old defender opts against putting pen to paper on an extension at Elland Road, the club may have to consider cashing in on him this summer.

Leeds open talks to sign Bundesliga star

Struijk, whose highlight in a Leeds shirt may have been scoring twice in a 2-1 win over Sunderland in the Championship last season, is not irreplaceable.

The former Ajax talent had a strong campaign, winning 56% of his duels across 33 Premier League games, but the club are now looking at a player who would be better for Daniel Farke's defence.

According to TEAMtalk, Leeds United have been in fresh contact to open talks with Union Berlin central defender Danilho Doekhi about a move to West Yorkshire this summer.

The Dutch defender is set to become a free agent at the end of June when his contract with the Bundesliga side expires, and the Whites are in talks to bring him over to England on a free transfer.

However, the report claims that German giants Borussia Dortmund are also interested in a deal for the 27-year-old colossus, which means that Leeds face serious competition for his signature.

TEAMtalk adds that Farke also wanted Doekhi when he was in charge at Norwich City and that he views the defender as an ideal signing to bolster his back three ahead of next season's Premier League campaign.

How signing Danilho Doekhi would soften the blow of losing Pascal Struijk

If Leeds can beat Dortmund to the signing of the Union Berlin star this summer, potentially losing Struijk due to his contract situation if he does not sign an extension would not be as much of a blow.

In fact, even if Struijk stays at Elland Road, signing Doekhi would improve the team and possibly leave his compatriot struggling for starts on the bench, as Joe Rodon, Jaka Bijol, and Doekhi could emerge as the favoured three.

The Bundesliga star's form in the 2025/26 campaign suggests that he would offer more to the team than his fellow Dutchman as an out-and-out defender, having won a higher percentage of both his ground and aerial duels.

Doekhi would arrive as a big upgrade on Struijk in aerial duels, in particular, which is important to note because Leeds have conceded the sixth-most goals from set-pieces (15) in the Premier League this season.

Union Berlin ended the Bundesliga campaign with the third-fewest set-piece goals conceded (eight), partially thanks to the Dutchman's aerial dominance, which suggests that replacing Struijk with him would improve the team's set-piece defending.

The soon-to-be free agent also uses his aerial prowess to be effective at the other end of the pitch, scoring five goals in the Bundesliga this term, whilst Struijk has not scored a goal in the top-flight this season.

Doekhi, who was described as a "goal-scoring menace" by Bundesliga reporter Archie Rhind-Tutt, has proven that he can offer a significant threat in the opposition's box when attacking set-plays.

His performances in the German top-flight, one of Europe's major leagues, suggest that he has the quality to slot in as an immediate star for Leeds at the heart of their defence if they can snap him up ahead of Dortmund this summer.

Doekhi could be a big upgrade on Struijk both defensively and offensively on the left side of the back three, as the 27-year-old can play in all three positions across the back three, despite being predominantly right-footed.

It is now down to Farke and Leeds to be as convincing as they can be to ensure that the Union Berlin star picks Elland Road as his next destination at the end of June.