Leeds United announced their retained list on Wednesday, and it confirmed that Kyle Bartley had returned to Swansea City following a successful season-long loan spell.
The centre-back was a key part of the Whites side that narrowly missed out on the play-off positions and formed a strong partnership at the heart of the defence alongside fellow loanee Pontus Jansson.
While the club and manager Garry Monk would certainly like to bring the 25-year-old to Elland Road on a permanent basis, it might be easier said than done because of developments throughout the campaign.
Having kept the Swans in the Premier League and not been in charge when Bartley was sent out on loan last year, Paul Clement will be looking to run the rule over the former Arsenal man during pre-season, meaning the Yorkshire outfit may have to look elsewhere to sign a new centre-half.
Here are five Bartley replacements Leeds should look to sign this summer…
Michael Hector
The centre-back’s move from Reading to Chelsea in the summer of 2015 was certainly one of the stranger deals, and he is still yet to make an appearance for the newly-crowned Premier League champions.
The 24-year-old has spent two seasons out on loan with the Royals and now Eintracht Frankfurt, and with the Blues having the likes of Gary Cahill, David Luiz, Cesar Azpilicueta, Nathan Ake, Andreas Christensen and Kurt Zouma already, another temporary or perhaps even a permanent move away looks likely this summer.
The Jamaica international has impressed in the Bundesliga and helped his side reach the German Cup final, and he has the ability and presence to form a strong partnership with Pontus Jansson at Elland Road.
Curtis Davies
Despite making 28 appearances in all competitions for Hull City this season, there is every chance the 32-year-old could leave the club this summer as he has just a year left on his contract with the Tigers.
The centre-back found first team football hard to come by following Marco Silva’s arrival as manager in January because of injury and often being overlooked in favour of a partnership between Andrea Ranocchia and Harry Maguire.
He has a wealth of Championship experience and Monk could look to offer him an escape route to help Leeds mount another promotion push next season.
Daniel Ayala
The Spaniard was one of the best defenders in the Championship last season as Middlesbrough won promotion to the Premier League, but he has endured a tough season in the top flight.
The 26-year-old has made just 16 appearances in all competitions this term because of an ankle problem and often being overlooked in favour of a centre-back partnership between Calum Chambers and Ben Gibson.
There is no guarantee that he will stay at the Riverside following the club’s relegation and with Leeds recently appointing Ivan Bravo as a director of strategy, the former Real Madrid man could target his fellow countryman to play alongside Pontus Jansson next season.
Tomas Kalas
Following two seasons on loan at Middlesbrough, the Chelsea defender joined the Blues’ west London rivals Fulham on a similar deal last summer.
The 24-year-old once again showed what a good player he is at this level as he helped the club finish in the play-off positions, although their play-off dream came to an end on Tuesday night as they were beaten 2-1 on aggregate in their semi-final tie against Reading.
It means that the Czech centre-back will return to Stamford Bridge but there will certainly be a number of clubs queuing up to perhaps sign him on a permanent basis this summer, and Leeds should be one of them if they are unable to bring Bartley back.
Christopher Schindler
The German centre-back joined Leeds’ Championship rivals Huddersfield Town for a club-record fee from 1860 Munich last summer, but he has gone on to make a huge impression for the Terriers as they secured a surprise spot in the play-off positions.
If David Wagner’s side fail to go up, there is likely to be a lot of interest in him and his players from other clubs this summer and Schindler will certainly be one of those attracting admiring glances.
The 27-year-old has made 300 clearances and 86 interceptions throughout the league campaign and is also comfortable in possession – something that is important for United manager Garry Monk.
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