Leeds United have done decent business in the transfer window since earning promotion to the Premier League at the end of last season. The Whites have signed seven new faces despite just spending over £75m, but they have also faced disappointments on the way.
Daniel Farke and the recruitment team, led by sporting director Adam Underwood, have followed a meticulous plan this summer, which involved strengthening the defence and midfield early in the window. While they still want to sign a full-back, their focus now is on signing the forwards for the squad.
Leeds have prioritised signing a new number 9 despite snapping up Lukas Nmecha on a free transfer, as Patrick Bamford and Mateo Joseph are almost certain to leave the club before the end of the window.
The Whites also want to sign a winger to bolster their wide options, and the effects of missing out on Feyenoord winger Igor Paixao to Marseille this week are still reverberating across Elland Road.
Can you name the team Leeds United sold these players to?
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Leeds had an agreement in place with Feyenoord and Igor Paixao
It emerged earlier this week that Paixao is set to join French giants Marseille this summer after the French giants finally worked out an agreement over a fee with Feyenoord.
However, last weekend, Leeds were growing in confidence that despite an agreement between Marseille and the player, the Brazilian would join the Whites.
The Whites had reasons to believe that a deal was progressing towards a successful completion, and Leeds would land one of their top targets.
According to the Yorkshire Evening Post, Leeds had email confirmation from Marseille on Saturday that the club are prepared to accept the terms offered.
The Yorkshire giants also had communication from the player’s camp that the winger had agreed to the contractual terms offered.
However, the sticking point was that Paixao wanted to play Champions League football. The Leeds hierarchy – Underwood, managing director, Evans and chairman Paraag Marathe – conducted a call with the player to change his stance.
Farke also spoke with the player to sway his decision, and even Leeds’ new boy, Lucas Perri, held conversations with his compatriot to urge him to move to Elland Road.
By Sunday, Leeds felt that they had done all they could to convince the player. However, on Monday, the trail went cold, and by the end of the day, the winger had more or less agreed to join Marseille.
Leeds did all they could to sign the winger
It seems clear that Leeds worked hard to convince the player and got all the relevant people involved to try to get the deal over the line.
However, the lure of Champions League football at Marseille seemed too good to turn down for a winger who was one of the best players in the Eredivisie last season.
Perri getting involved in the mix showed that the Leeds United new boy is happy to be at Elland Road and wants to help the club in every way possible, which bodes well for the future.
The Whites have turned to other targets and are still expecting to bring in a new winger before the end of the window.
