Jose Mourinho now wants to steal £25m Leeds United target after turning down Elland Road job 

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Paraag Marathe made it public that he would be sticking by Daniel Farke prior to Leeds United’s open-top bus parade, but that was only after Jose Mourinho has turned down the Leeds job.

In the aftermath of Marathe’s decision, Richard Keys claimed Mourinho had turned down the Leeds job. That is why Marathe and The 49ers had chosen to keep Farke – a different story had Mourinho said yes.

Mourinho is now set to remain at Turkish side Fenerbahce this summer, having finished in second place behind Galatasaray during the 2024-25 season. He is looking to rebuild his side in the summer window.

One player that Mourinho wants to sign has starred on these shores, attracting attention from Leeds even if the player’s club want a huge £25m – with coaches describing the forward as a “machine” on BBC Sport.

• READ MORE: What David Moyes said as Jack Harrison returns to Leeds from Everton

Jose Mourinho now wants Celtic attacker Daizen Maeda

A close friend of Ao Tanaka, £25m-rated Daizen Maeda is attracting interest from Leeds. It comes after a stellar campaign in which Maeda scored a whopping 33 goals in 51 appearances, laying on 12 assists.

Turkish outlet Takvim say that Leeds are not alone in pursuit of Maeda this summer, with Mourinho’s Fenerbahce keen to lure Maeda to Turkey this summer. It comes with Fener set to shake up their attack.

What Daizen Maeda has said about his future at Celtic

Maeda has now spent the last three years at Celtic, playing 158 times – which in itself is remarkable. Always available, Maeda has scored a huge 62 goals and laid on 28 assists. 90 goals and assists so far.

Celtic fans then, can have no qualms if Maeda opts to leave. At Celtic’s awards evening, Maeda opened the door to a possible exit: “This is a world where you never know what’s going to happen next.

“I’m not thinking [about it] a lot right now because there’s still games to play. I’m thinking about how I’ll spend my day off! So, we’ll just get the games done and then let’s see what happens,” Maeda added.

There is no doubt that Maeda would be an excellent signing for Leeds and he could be tempted to join The Whites given the presence of Ao Tanaka. But at £25m, it remains to be seen if Leeds will sign him.