Leeds United are back in the Premier League after a 16-year absence and their first game will be against the champions, Liverpool, at Anfield on September 12th.
But what sort of Whites team will we see in Merseyside?
Marcelo Bielsa has already conducted some business, signing Illan Meslier on a permanent basis with Jack Harrison’s loan being extended for another season.
Although expect more through the door soon, so here’s how United’s XI could look next month…
You’d imagine Meslier is nailed on for that number one spot after impressing towards the back end of last season whilst the future of Kiko Casilla is by no means certain.
One major need is in central defence with Brighton holding firm over loan star Ben White, therefore a €10m (£9m) move for Freiburg’s Robin Koch makes the most sense. He will partner skipper Liam Cooper in the middle with Luke Ayling and Barry Douglas on either side.
The former Wolves man could get the nod over Stuart Dallas given his experience at this level.
Kalvin Phillips is probably the first name on the teamsheet under Bielsa so there’s no surprises in the anchorman role while veteran playmaker Pablo Hernandez starts ahead of him alongside a new name – Nahitan Nandez.
The Cagliari enforcer has a release clause of €36m (£32m) and is deemed ‘perfect’ for Bielsa’s midfield.
Harrison is likely to continue on the left whilst reported target Harry Wilson could add some valuable Premier League experience on the other flank. The Liverpool ace scored seven times for Bournemouth as they were relegated to the Championship.
It’s thought that the Reds would want £20m for his services.
Whilst upfront, there could be no Patrick Bamford in the starting lineup with the club reportedly opening talks with Valencia for their striker Rodrigo, who has a £30m price tag.
If Victor Orta were to splash that much on a new number nine, you’d imagine he’d be thrown into the XI instead of having to settle for the bench.
It means there are no places for Championship-winning heroes Mateusz Klich, Helder Costa or Gjanni Alioski.
AND in other news, Leeds open preliminary talks to sign La Liga forward…