MusaLeeds United are stepping up their transfer activity as the new Premier League season draws closer.
Former Manchester City youth star Lucas Nmecha has now joined Wolfsburg to bolster the Whites’ attacking options. It is surely only a matter of time before Jaka Bijol is also announced, having reportedly undergone a medical at Elland Road.
The next logical step would therefore be to add some reinforcements in the middle of the park, and Leeds’ wish could be granted if they land the former Premier League ace.
Leeds interested in £25m star
Strengthening midfield is clearly a key priority for Leeds this summer, with moves for the likes of Habib Diarra and Noah Sadiki all set to take place.
Diarra appears to be a more concrete target at the moment, with new claims suggesting a bid of £21m has been made.
Progress is slow on that deal, with the Whites looking for alternatives. Well, according to a new report from Italian magazine Tuttosport via Sport Witness, Leeds are in the running to sign former Aston Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz this summer.
The report claims that Luiz could leave Juventus this off-season after a mediocre spell in Turin, but Leeds could be deterred by the Serie A giants and their asking price, with Igor Tudor’s men snapping up the Brazilian for a fee of £42m.
The move could still have the makings of a loan-to-buy deal, but the report makes it clear that such a deal would cost Daniel Farke’s men just £25m. That’s a huge reduction on Luiz’s staggering £100m release clause in 2023.
That £25m fee therefore seems like a reasonable wage for the South American, with his reputation in need of repair, which could be the case in England, where he once played regularly for Unai Emery’s men.
Why Luiz could be Leeds’ new Raphinha-like star
Luiz could step in and seriously improve Farke’s midfield options, with a deal that would have a similar feel to when Leeds bought another Brazilian from Europe in the form of Raphinha for a bargain £16m, with the rest now history on the tail of the Barcelona superstar.
Raphinha obviously had no experience at Rennes before moving to West Yorkshire, but it would have been considered a smart move at the time, with Leeds only having to pay a modest fee to land a smart winger.
The 34-time Brazil international has cemented himself in the hearts of Leeds fans around the world with his skilful performances during his brief spell at Barca, when the No.11 amassed 17 goals and 12 assists in 67 appearances, and his efforts as the Whites’ top scorer during their breakout season at Elland Road have helped Leeds to a point of no return.
Luiz could follow in Raphinha’s footsteps and be the energetic presence Leeds need to secure Premier League status next season, with the Rio de Janeiro-born midfielder proving to be a top-class player.
Farke would be happy to call on Luiz as an additional central presence, so the lively Brazilian can get stuck in when needed. Like Raphinha, who is now a firm contender for the Ballon d’Or, he has a good pedigree, and most notably, Sky Italia hails him as “one of the top six in the Premier League” and “one of the best [midfielders] in the world”.
This is perfectly illustrated by his figures for the Villans, where he was ranked in the top 7% of midfielders in the 2023/24 Premier League in terms of goals, showing that his attacking flair runs parallel to his defensive qualities.
Luiz has only gotten better and better as his Premier League journey at Villa Park has continued, culminating in a ridiculous nine Premier League goals in his final season in the West Midlands.
Teammate John McGinn would even describe him as “world class” during his illustrious spell at Villa, and Raphinha was once spoken of in similarly glowing terms in West Yorkshire, with Marcelo Bielsa calling him “special”.
It looks like a fantastic deal and Luiz could become their new Premier League saviour, just as Raphinha once was.
Musa
Kwaghterna Garshagu
