How close did Leeds United come to splashing £20m on midfield flop now in Germany’s second tier

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It was the summer of 2020 and the feel-good factor was alive and well at Leeds United, after Marcelo Bielsa had ended a 16-year wait for Premier League football at Elland Road.

The Whites were back in the big time and that season, Bielsa’s men would go on to enjoy a stellar year in which they would finish ninth and secure massive wins over Tottenham, Newcastle and Manchester City.

They had spent big in the summer after promotion, bringing the likes of Rodrigo, Diego Llorente, Robin Koch and Raphinha to Elland Road. Victor Orta was also in the market for a new attacking midfielder.

Indeed, The Athletic report of how Leeds came within an inch of splashing out a massive £20m fee to sign an unproven Frenchman from Bayern Munich five years ago – specifically, Michael Cuisance.

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Why Leeds United’s move for Michael Cuisance actually failed

An exciting talent that Daniel Farke’s old side Gladbach had poached from AS Nancy Lorraine in 2017, just before his 18th birthday, Bayern opted to sign Cuisance from their German neighbours two years later.

He played 13 times for Bayern’s first team during 2019-20, having a hand in four goals. But not enough in the eyes of the Bayern coaching staff, who opted to sell the Frenchman for a profit rather than keep him.

The Athletic report that Leeds had agreed a £20m fee to sign Cuisance but while doing a medical, it then emerged that there was a problem with the player’s foot – and a move came to a shuddering halt.

How far had Michael Cuisance gone before failing Leeds medical

So, Leeds had agreed a fee. The Athletic say that The Whites were ready to meet his wage demands and agree a long-term contract at Elland Road – and even compromised to include Bayern’s buyback clause.

Leeds had even started media work and promotional content before Rob Price found an issue with his foot. Days later, Cuisance was on the plane back to France with Ligue 1 giants Marseille, on loan.

It was the right call from a Leeds point of view. Since Leeds pulled the plug on a deal, Cuisance has club-hopped. Marseille, Venezia with Ethan Ampadu, Sampdoria, Osnabruck. Now, second-tier Hertha Berlin.

There’s nothing wrong with the second-tier of German football. Leeds found a diamond in Ao Tanaka in that division – but, having come within an inch of spending £20m on him, Leeds made the right decision.