BSC Young Boys are all set to beat rivals FC Basel to the signature of Leeds United full-back Isaac Schmidt.
BSC Young Boys are closing in on signing Isaac Schmidt from Leeds United, with the Swiss champions set to beat FC Basel to the Yorkshire club’s out-of-favour defender as Leeds prepare to part ways with the player.
According to reports from Berner Zeitung, Young Boys have won the race for Schmidt despite strong competition from Basel, with the Bern-based club identifying the full-back as an important addition to their defensive unit ahead of the new campaign.
The move would provide Leeds with a timely financial boost. Schmidt is currently earning a base salary of around €600,000 per year, equivalent to roughly £9,800 per week, and the Whites are keen to remove those wages from the payroll to create room for Daniel Farke’s remaining transfer business this summer.
For Schmidt, the move offers a chance to revive a stalled career through regular minutes and a pathway back into the Swiss national team setup. It is not yet clear whether Young Boys will sign the defender permanently or initially on loan, but negotiations are understood to be in the final stages.
Young Boys see Schmidt as an ideal solution for the right side of their defence. The club are preparing to reshape their backline, with Lewin Blum expected to leave, while Ryan Andrews is currently recovering from a knee injury. It creates a clear pathway for Schmidt to regular first-team football, something that played a major role in convincing him about the move.
His spell at Leeds struggled to unfold as planned. The defender joined the club from St. Gallen in the summer of 2024 in a deal worth around £2.5 million, arriving with high expectations after impressing in the Swiss Super League.
However, his debut campaign at Elland Road proved disappointing. Schmidt managed only 14 appearances in all competitions and spent much of the 2024/25 season on the bench. A loan move to Werder Bremen was intended to provide a fresh start, but that spell also failed to reignite his career.
Schmidt featured in 19 matches for the Bundesliga club but accumulated fewer than 700 minutes on the pitch, leaving his long-term future at Leeds in serious doubt. With opportunities at Elland Road appearing increasingly limited, all parties now seem ready to move on.
For Leeds, the deal would free up valuable space in both the squad and wage bill. For Schmidt, a return to Swiss football offers the chance to rebuild his confidence with regular starts. Young Boys, meanwhile, look set to secure one of their priority defensive targets after edging out Basel in the race for the 26-year-old full-back, who can feature on either flank.
