Leeds United watch on as relegation rivals strike £40m deal for player on Adam Underwood’s list

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The list of players linked with Leeds United has easily exceeded 100, with Leeds themselves closing in on an 11th signing in the form of Brighton’s Facundo Buonanotte.

The Argentine is said to be close to joining Leeds on loan from Brighton, with Brighton always preferring Buonanotte to be sent on loan to a Premier League club despite interest from Dortmund and Lyon.

Graham Smyth says Buonanotte is travelling to Leeds today to put pen to paper on a loan deal. Leeds’ first loan signing of the summer, having agreed 10 permanent signings up until this point of the window.

It hands Leeds another attacking option in their fight against survival. A fight that will require some of last season’s Premier League clubs to prove worse than them, and one candidate is currently West Ham.

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West Ham strike £40m deal for player on Leeds’ shortlist

Earlier in the summer, Leeds had been strongly linked with Southampton’s Mateus Fernandes. The talent was a rare shining light in Southampton’s dismal 2024-25 campaign, and has attracted lots of interest.

Leeds were one club to show interest in the Portuguese ace, but now, Fernandes has joined a Premier League relegation rival. On Friday morning, West Ham confirmed the arrival of Fernandes until 2030.

Reports say that West Ham have splashed out a fee believed to be more than £40m to land the attacking midfielder. Certainly, West Ham have needed some investment with Graham Potter’s job on the line.

Facundo Buonanotte v Mateus Fernandes, the numbers

So, who has got the better player? Leeds have saved themselves more than £40m by striking a loan deal for Buonanotte but a deal is only likely to be a dry loan and it will see the Argentine return next summer.

Fernandes sparkled in a poor side last season, though many are viewing his transfer fee as excessive. It probably highlights West Ham’s desperation to get some players through the door after a poor start.

Fernandes v Buonanotte in the Premier League…

Judging by the numbers and the fact Leeds have saved themselves what would have been a club-record fee this summer, it seems Leeds have got the much better deal in signing Buonanotte over Fernandes.