A year ago, Leeds United faced arguably their toughest-ever transfer window. With promoted teams being relegated, Adam Underwood had to get the signings right while remaining in budget.
Leeds didn’t have a great deal to spend without breaking PSR rules. Eventually, the Whites spent little over £100m and brought in 10 new players, with two arriving on free transfers and none over £20m.
Who do you want to replace Struijk?
Muharemovic, Kelly and others have been linked…
A year later, and Leeds will be proud of the work they did. Especially considering it was Underwood’s first summer as sporting director. Anton Stach for £19.9m, Gabi Gudmundsson for £10m – both good deals.
Gudmundsson is now a £30m target for Chelsea, and that says it all. But it was not plain sailing; Leeds lost the race for Igor Paixao, and there was a constant theme that also involved newly-promoted Sunderland.
Reinildo Mandava, Habib Diarra, and Noah Sadiki were all signed by Sunderland after Leeds had made moves for the trio. This time around, though, Leeds could finally get their revenge on Regis Le Bris’ side.
Leeds beating Sunderland in £34m race for Struijk replacement
In recent days, it has emerged that Leeds are interested in Bosnia’s World Cup star Tarik Muharemovic. A left-footed centre-back starring in Serie A with Sassuolo, 23-year-old Muharemovic is a target for many.
Eagle-eyed viewers of this summer’s tournament will know it was Muharemovic who was sent off against Switzerland at the World Cup. But he started all three of Bosnia’s games for which he was available.
Now, his summer is set to get even busier. Leeds are among the Premier League clubs in for the defender after Pascal Struijk’s departure, and Italian reporter Luca Cerchione claims the Whites are on pole position.
Indeed, Leeds are pushing to do a deal that finally sees them get revenge on Sunderland, with the Black Cats and Bournemouth also said to be interested. An initial offer is said to be incoming on Tuesday.
On X, Cerchione said this on Monday afternoon: “Leeds, at this moment, ahead of Sunderland and Bournemouth for Muharemovic. The first official offer is awaited for tomorrow.”
How much will Leeds have to spend to sign Muharemovic?
The decision to sell Struijk was a hard one. A two-time Championship title winner, Struijk ended an eight-year stint at Leeds with a £20m move to Brighton. A fee below his value, due to his contract situation.
It gives Leeds some cash to spend on a new defender, but to replace Struijk’s importance and quality to the team, they will have to use that £20m and more. Muharemovic will cost far more than just £20m.
£20m for Struijk: The best of a bad situation?
After eight years, Struijk is leaving Leeds.
According to TeamTalk, Sassuolo have slapped a £34m price tag on his head this summer. If Leeds go to that fee, it will see the Bosnian become the club’s second-most-expensive transfer in history.
Georginio Rutter, Struijk’s teammate at Brighton, remains Leeds’ record buy at £35.5m from Hoffenheim in January 2023. Rodrigo Moreno is the second biggest, as things stand, at £27m from Valencia in 2020.
Muharemovic comes in for a figure just below Rutter’s price tag. But a move would see Leeds not only replace Struijk, but finally get one over Sunderland and indeed, another side in Europe, in Bournemouth.
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