Leeds United have stepped up their efforts to improve their defence following the departure of Pascal Struijk, who joined Brighton last month.
Daniel Farke is pushing to bring in defensive reinforcements following the arrival of Harry Wilson, who has strengthened the club’s attacking threat ahead of next season.
The Leeds boss wants to bring in two centre-backs this summer, and the club have already made a contract offer to Sassuolo defender Tarik Muharemovic, who they hope to sign in the coming days.
They are also looking at adding one more defender, and the club are again looking for solutions in Italy in the ongoing summer transfer window.
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Leeds United make serious move for another Serie A defender
Leeds are aware that Sebastiaan Bornauw is also likely to leave this summer, with the club open to offers for the centre-back ahead of the new season.
The Whites are keen to add one more centre-back to ensure they don’t feel short at the back in the 2026/27 campaign, and they are looking at a serious defender in Italy.
According to Calciomercato.com journalist Francesco Guerrieri, Leeds are showing a strong interest in signing Udinese centre-back Oumar Solet.
The 26-year-old defender has popped up on Leeds’ radar this summer following a strong season in Italy, where he looked an accomplished player in the Udinese backline.
Leeds’ interest is serious, and the club have opened talks with the defender’s agent to understand the financial aspects of a potential deal.
He is in the final year of his contract at Udinese, but the Italian club have an option to extend the deal by one more year.
With Inter Milan also interested in the defender, Udinese would hope to get a lot more than his £20m market value this summer.
Oumar Solet is the kind of profile Leeds are looking for
Daniel Farke wants to gradually turn Leeds into a possession-heavy team that can dominate the ball in most Premier League games.
He wants to bring in centre-backs who are comfortable on the ball, physically dominant and athletic, and Oumar Solet ticks all those boxes.
| 🛡️ Defensive & Tactical Metric | Value Tally |
|---|---|
| 👕 Total Appearances (Starts) | 35 (34) |
| ⏱️ Total Minutes Played | 2,959′ |
| ⚔️ Total Defending Contributions | 267 |
| 🧱 Clearances Logged | 132 |
| 🪓 Ground Tackles Attempted (Won) | 79 (57) |
| 🔀 Interceptions Read | 47 |
| 🛑 Shots Blocked | 8 |
| 🧩 Pass Completion Rate (Build-up) | 89.3% |
| 🧼 Clean Sheets Contributed | 10 |
| ⚽ Attacking Goals Scored | 3 |
| 🟨 Discipline (Yellow / Red) | 1 / 0 |
| 📈 Average StatMuse/FotMob Rating | 6.86 |
The Frenchman has emerged as a dominant centre-back in Italy, which has led to interest from Inter Milan and now from the Premier League, with Leeds chasing him.
With effectively two years left on his deal, Solet is not going to be cheap. However, Leeds seem keen to understand what it would take to sign him this summer.
