Leeds United are currently preparing to take on the Championship play-offs as they look to secure promotion back up to the Premier League at the first time of asking.

The Whites face Norwich City, Daniel Farke's former side, in the semi-finals and travel to Carrow Road on Sunday for the first leg before the return fixture at Elland Road next Thursday.

Irrespective of whether or not they are successful in their attempts to win the play-offs to return to the top-flight, the German head coach will have a lot of tough decisions to make in the upcoming summer transfer window.

One player he will need to make a call on is right-back Rasmus Kristensen, who is now set to come back to Thorp Arch at the end of the season.

Club do not want to sign Leeds player permanently

According to Football Insider, Roma are not interested in pursuing a permanent deal to sign the Danish defender on a long-term contract this summer.

The former RB Salzburg full-back has spent the 2023/24 campaign on loan with the Italian giants but they are not looking to extend his stay with the club.

The report states that the enforcer will now return to Elland Road to link back up with Leeds later this year, after his season with Roma comes to an end, ahead of next term.

This means that the Whites do not have a buyer immediately lined up to sign Kristensen on a permanent deal. It could have been ideal for them to have the Serie A side willing to snap him up straight away, as it would have been one less issue for Farke to deal with in the summer window.

Why Rasmus Kristensen should be sold

The German tactician must ruthlessly ditch the right-footed battler from the club by cashing in on him in the summer, whether his team are in the Championship or the Premier League.

Last season, Kristensen made 26 appearances in the English top-flight for Leeds as they were relegated from the division, and he completed just 69% of his attempted passes and was dribbled past 1.3 times per game, which shows that he was loose in possession and easy to get past for opposition wingers.

The £10m signing reportedly earned £40k-per-week during the 2022/23 campaign, which has carried through into the current season, and that is as much as Ethan Ampadu, who was recently named in the Championship Team of the Season, currently earns for Leeds.

Kristensen's form for the Yorkshire-based outfit last term and the Italian side this year does not suggest that a £40k-per-week wage, on par with the impressive Ampadu, is a fair reflection of his status within the squad.

Appearances

27

Sofascore rating

6.77

Key passes per game

0.4

Tackles + interceptions per game

1.5

Ground duel success rate

49%

As you can see in the table above, his performances have not been particularly impressive in the Serie A for Roma this term, as he has not offered much in the way of creativity or defensive strength on the deck.

The Denmark international has already struggled in the Premier League with the Whites, and is now failing to impress in Italy, and that is why Farke must ruthlessly sell him as soon as an opportunity presents itself in the summer as his time should now be up at Elland Road.

Roma may not want to sign him on a permanent deal but there may be clubs elsewhere who are willing to take a punt on him, and it is down to Leeds to find those teams and get a reasonable fee for his services.