Leeds United’s pursuit of Igor Paixao is set to come to an end, with Marseille also in pursuit of the Feyenoord star.
The talk at one stage regarding the deal is that Leeds United were leading the race, as Leeds were also willing to pay more than Marseille.
Marseille’s previous offer for Paixao saw the move stall, as it was not enough for the Dutch giants to part ways with the Brazilian ace.
Leeds led the Paixao race in pole position over the weekend, but the claims this morning centred around Marseille making one last attempt to sign Paixao before Leeds ended up winning the race.
Igor Paixao is heading to Marseille over Leeds United
Leeds offered £28 million plus add-ons for Paixao over the weekend, but then excitement reached fever pitch when further claims over a “done deal” between Leeds and Feyenoord emerged as well.
It was a huge turnaround after Marseille looked close to Paixao and striking an agreement just last week. However, they were struggling over the financials, with Marseille around £6 million below Paixao’s valuation at one stage.
Amid all of this, it was claimed early on that Paixao prefers a transfer to Marseille over Leeds. Now, despite Leeds leading the way, the French giants have managed to find a way to secure a deal.
In a gutting turn of events for Leeds supporters, Fabrizio Romano has given the here we go on the transfer, claiming full agreement in place and that he wants to join Marseille.
Matching Leeds had been difficult thus far but Romano writes that it’s a five-year deal and agreement has been found with Feyenoord despite efforts and an improved bid sent by Leeds in recent days.
What is Leeds’ contingency plan after Paixao blow?
Leeds had Adam Underwood in Germany during Paixao negotiations, but it seems to be immaterial as to impacting this deal in any kind of way, with Paixao always preferring Marseille.
Beren Cross believes Leeds have pitched to several wingers while this process for Paixao has been ongoing, meaning they should be able to move quickly.
The Paixao deal was named the ‘hardest’ of Leeds’ window thus far, which is why it’s no surprise that they will have to look elsewhere.
| Team | Appearances | Goals | Assists |
| FC Girondins de Bordeaux | 52 | 5 | 9 |
| RC Strasbourg Alsace | 66 | 11 | 18 |
Dilane Bakwa is likely to be Leeds’ next option, with the RC Strasbourg star only 22 and with bags of potential as well. Bakwa was linked alongside Bilal El Khannouss, but Leeds may need to act swiftly to secure him as well.
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