Leeds United are looking at Dmytro Riznyk as they prepare to reshape their goalkeeper department this summer, with Daniel Farke weighing another move after a season that left the position unsettled. Karl Darlow, who was handed the gloves after Lucas Perri’s form dipped, and Illan Meslier are both poised to leave as free agents.
The timing matters because Leeds finished 14th in the Premier League after their top-flight return and cannot afford another season of uncertainty in a position that has already changed hands more than once. Perri arrived in July 2025, but he never settled the debate, and Darlow was eventually brought in after an uncharacteristic blunder against Arsenal in January and later kept his place when Meslier was dropped toward the end of the 2024/2025 season.
Riznyk’s case is built on a very different kind of season. The 27-year-old played 41 matches for Shakhtar Donetsk last season, kept 22 clean sheets and helped them win the Ukrainian league title by 12 points. He also joined Shakhtar from Vorskla Poltava in 2023 and has already collected two Ukrainian titles and two domestic cups, form that has put him on Leeds’ radar as they look for a long-term answer.
Farke has not hidden that Leeds need to act. At the end of April, when asked about Darlow’s contract, he told supporters they could “read between the lines,” and he has also made clear to the club hierarchy how strongly he feels about the summer window. That is where the contradiction sits: Leeds leaned on Darlow after signing Perri, yet the club is now exploring another goalkeeper target while both Darlow and Meslier head toward the exit.
There is still no certainty that Riznyk will be the answer, or that Leeds will land him at a fee they are willing to pay. But the direction is plain enough: Farke wants a new goalkeeper, Leeds know the current setup will not carry over unchanged, and the next move could decide whether this area of the squad remains a problem or finally becomes a settled strength.
