Leeds United are now eyeing their seventh summer signing after signing Anton Stach, with Feyenoord’s Igor Paixao very much a serious target.
Despite the fact Leeds United have Jack Harrison returning from loan to join Willy Gnonto, Dan James, and Largie Ramazani as options, the Feyenoord winger is seen as a potential Manor Solomon replacement.
Paixao has the end product to be a match-winner and could be a transformational player to a Leeds side with a strong midfield and defence already in place for Daniel Farke.
It’s been reported previously that Leeds opened talks with Paixao over a month ago now but French giants Marseille are also involved. That’s despite other reports stating Marseille could not and would not meet Paixao’s asking price.
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Leeds have further Igor Paixao hope with Marseille move at a standstill
Leeds have hope despite Marseille’s Igor Paixao interest. It’s been stated that Marseille looked close to striking an agreement recently but Leeds are using the fact Paixao has called Raphinha his role model.
It’s been claimed that Leeds are using Raphinha to persuade Paixao into coming to West Yorkshire in the current transfer window. They also have more hope, with Marseille £6 million below the £30 million Feyenoord want.
In recent weeks, it’s been stated that Paixao is happy to leave Feyenoord for a new challenge this summer. There have been conflicting claims on that front, as it has also been claimed Paixao is more likely to remain at Feyenoord than move to either Leeds or Marseille.
It continues to be a saga that dominates the transfer talk in Leeds now that Stach and Sean Longstaff have been secured in recent weeks, with Leeds still pushing for Paixao despite his injury concern.
It seemed as though Paixao was joining Marseille at one stage but this was quickly denied as Paixao’s agent said nothing is ‘done’ yet, which remains the case.
French outlet RMC Sport report that talks between Marseille and Feyenoord for Brazilian winger Igor Paixao, who said yes to Marseille’s proposal, have not progressed still.
Marseille have submitted a €28 million offer to the Dutch club but their final offer has been rejected. They report that the process is, therefore, for the moment, at a standstill.
It appears as though the gap in valuation is proving to be too difficult to overcome, with Marseille also looking at other forwards, including reported Leeds target Timothy Weah.
Robin van Persie’s view of Igor Paixao
Robin van Persie believes Paixao is outstanding. Speaking in a post-match interview last season about the winger, van Persie gave a detailed explanation of why Paixao is the real deal.
He said: “Paixao is cheerful every day and radiates joy. He’s great to work with; he works incredibly hard, is easy to coach, and is open to everything.
| Season | Appearances | Goals | Assists |
| 2022/23 | 37 | 9 | 6 |
| 2023/24 | 45 | 12 | 4 |
| 2024/25 | 47 | 18 | 19 |
“Igor has everything you look for in a player, but above all, he has incredible quality and has been really good for longer than just this season.”
There is still hope for Leeds, with a deal not struck and not imminent, according to Graham Smyth.
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