If I’m not out of date with my knowledge, Leeds have a self imposed wages limit and won’t sign anyone on a contract that breaks it. That was certainly the case a few years ago during their Grand Final winning days.
To buy a new team to get themselves back as regulars in the top 4 they’d have to abandon that policy and really splash the cash. Unfortunately even if they do that they still won’t be able to compete for the best NRL players and would have to pay transfer fees for the best home grown players. That won’t happen because, quite admirably, Leeds are aiming to stay self sufficient as a club and a business which means no sugar daddy money, so again that would mean a drastic change in policy.
If they get lucky and unearth half a team full of Academy players like Burrow, McGuire, Sinfield, Hall, Calderwood, JJB, Ablett, Diskin, Watkins, Mathers, Bailey & Co they just might surge back up the league. They don’t have Dean Bell anymore, he was the man who set up the youth system that built their best ever team and who also went to St Helens and was equally as successful. Without someone like him they have zero chance of building another Champion team full of Academy lads.