Daniel Farke made it clear towards the end of last season that Leeds United should show ambition in the transfer window. This came in a series of press conferences in the final games of the campaign.
When Farke was asked about his future, the German said he would love to stay if the club invested on the pitch.
Leeds were able to swoop in for free agent Harry Wilson ahead of Premier League rivals. The club also spent £34 million on Tarik Muharemovic, one of the most highly rated young defenders in Europe.
The James Trafford move was a real signal of intent from the 49ers.
Now, the club have one of the best goalkeepers in the league. The situation is now completely different from last season when Leeds had Karl Darlow and Lucas Perri competing to be number one at Elland Road.
Leeds United make bid for star forward
Sky sources believe that Leeds could target up to four more players before the window closes.
The Whites will have to offload a few players in the coming days to allow them to splash the cash going forward. Joe Gelhardt is on the verge of leaving Elland Road to Hull City.
Lucas Perri is also on his way to Torino, but an offer from Marseille could complicate things.
A new target has emerged in the last few weeks. Ben Jacobs revealed on talkSPORT that Leeds United were one of the clubs offered Rafael Leao.
The Portuguese winger has been linked with an exit this summer but remains an AC Milan player.
Leao için 50+5 Milyon Euro teklif yapan kulüpler Leeds ve Aston Villa. Ancak oyuncunun 10 milyon Euro’luk maaş bütçesi yüksek geliyor. https://t.co/9PoBOv2y0I
— Yakup Çınar (@yakupcinar) August 12, 2026
According to journalist Yakup Cinar, Leeds are one of the clubs with an offer for Leao. Per the report, the proposal on the table is a fee in excess of £42.74 million including add-ons.
However, Leao’s £8.55 million salary is now the stumbling block.
READ MORE: Transfer stalled as Leeds star ‘willing to wait’ for new offer
Rafael Leao would be a very good gamble
Just like how Leeds United signed Noah Okafor and Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Rafael Leao could be another good bet.
Okafor and Calvert-Lewin ended up among the club’s top scorers in all competitions and had solid seasons overall.
Rafael Leao is a great player, who can change games on his own in wide areas. He would definitely be a very ambitious addition to the first team.
It will be very unlikely considering the finances involed in the transfer, but if Leeds do push for this it could pay off in a big way. Last season, only one player managed to score more than 10 goals in all competitions.
How does “…Leeds United were one of the clubs offered Rafael Leao” translate to the headline “Leeds United table another club-record bid after James Trafford signing”?
Please don’t sign Leao. He is useless and a waste of money. I notice none of the so called big clubs are remotely interested in him. Leave well alone.