Leeds United's chances of signing Christoph Kramer revealed | OneFootball

Leeds United are currently without Ethan Ampadu and Ilia Gruev due to long-term injury issues

Leeds United are unlikely to secure a move for World Cup winner Christoph Kramer as a free agent amid their midfield injury crisis.

According to the Yorkshire Evening Post, any pursuit of the German by the Whites is unlikely to succeed.

Leeds are currently without both Ethan Ampadu and Ilia Gruev, their starting midfield pairing, with both set for lengthy spells on the sidelines.

Joe Rothwell and Ao Tanaka started in their place in Friday night’s 2-2 draw against Sunderland, with the duo each playing the full 90 minutes.

The club’s options beyond Rothwell and Tanaka include youngster Charlie Crew, but is otherwise quite limited while Ampadu and Gruev are absent through injury.

Leeds United’s Christoph Kramer pursuit

It is believed that any attempt to sign Kramer as a free agent in the coming weeks will be rejected by the midfielder.

It is understood that his preference is to remain in Germany, as he continues to look for a new club.

Kramer, who was in the German national team squad during their triumphant 2014 campaign, is without a team after departing Borussia Mönchengladbach at the end of last season.

The 33-year-old had fallen down the pecking order of the Bundesliga side, starting just one of his 14 league appearances in his final campaign there (all stats from Fbref).

However, despite being without a club, he is reportedly unlikely to sign a deal with Leeds amid their injury crisis.

Manager Daniel Farke previously worked with Kramer during his time at Gladbach, with the player featuring 29 times in the league during his single term in charge.

It has been reported by The Athletic that Ampadu is set to be out for up to 10 weeks with a knee injury, while the Yorkshire Evening Post have claimed that Gruev will be out for months rather than weeks after undergoing surgery.

Leeds United’s free agent market stance

Farke has suggested that he is not particularly keen on the prospect of making a free agent signing in October.

However, the coach has admitted that he has to be open to the possibility just in case something worthwhile arises.

"I think it’s professional to check [free agent options] and sometimes out of coincidence or a special situation, there could be someone who suits the needs at the moment - I think it’s one of our professional duties to check," said Farke, via the Yorkshire Evening Post.

“But I’m not a believer of doing these signings in October - let’s see.

“We wait a little bit for a positive outcome on Ilia’s scan, if there’s a shocking diagnosis that he’s out for a month, then of course we have a look, but I can’t confirm we would do something."

Leeds are stuck in a tricky situation due to injuries

Leeds are left relying on Rothwell and Tanaka over the next several weeks due to Ampadu and Gruev both being out.

It’s very unlucky for Farke to be missing both of his first-choice starting midfielders for such a lengthy period of time.

The pair of Tanaka and Rothwell performed well against Sunderland, but an injury to one or both of them and Leeds will be very short of options.