Leeds United handed the chance to finally land £17m Aston Villa player

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Daniel Farke might finally get his man after one of his longstanding Leeds United targets was recently turned down for a big money move.

Daniel Farke has a habit of keeping tabs on certain transfer targets, and following Leeds United’s promotion to the Premier League, expect him to have several long-term targets in mind for this summer.

Already we’ve seen a horde of players linked with Leeds United ahead of the summer transfer window opening on June 1st. It’s also looking like the Whites might break their transfer record too with some expensive names mentioned.

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Recent reports had revealed that Leeds United wanted to sign Leonardo Balerdi from Marseille in a deal that would’ve cost the 49ers £38million, eclipsing the current highest transfer of £35.5million on Georginio Rutter in 2023.

On top of a marquee signing or two we could see a handful of expensive, but not as expensive signings at Elland Road, and we could also see a familiar face or two arriving in West Yorkshire.

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Bayer Leverkusen turn down chance to sign Emi Buendia

During the January transfer window, Emi Buendia was a name mentioned a lot. Leeds United tried to sign Buendia on loan from Aston Villa but Bayer Leverkusen won the race, with the Argentine former Norwich City man going on to score twice in 11 Bundesliga games for Erik ten Hag’s new side.

But recent reports have now revealed that the German outfit won’t be signing Buendia this summer: it was understood that Leverkusen had an option to buy Buendia worth around £17million, but journalist Uriel Iugt says the club are passing up on the opportunity.

Earlier in the year, it was reported that Leeds United would target a summer deal for Buendia providing he became available, and it looks like he might well be with Buendia failing to impress in Germany, and previously well out of the picture under Unai Emery at Villa Park.

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Why Emi Buendia chose Bayer Leverkusen over Leeds United

Buendia broke Leeds hearts when he signed for Leverkusen. But he had a good reason to do so. Speaking earlier in the year, Buendia explained why he joined Bayer Leverkusen, saying: “The Bundesliga is very appealing to me. Bayer Leverkusen are the defending champions and in my view one of the best and most interesting teams in Europe.

“I’ve obviously seen Leverkusen in the Champions League and also their Europa League games last season. It’s a great team that plays attractive football. I’m sure I can help contribute to the club’s success.”

Now though, options might not be so attractive for Buendia. He’s not made an impression in Germany and now looks set to be sold by Villa with his contract running for another two years yet.

This approximate £17million buy-out clause which Leverkusen turned down could be a good starting point for Leeds United, and it could be a reasonable price to pay for a player with good experience, quality, and a proven track record under Farke too.