Lukas Nmecha has become Leeds United’s first signing of the summer window after agreeing a pre-contract with The Whites, after his contract at Wolfsburg was set to expire on June 30.
A seven-time Germany international, 26-year-old Nmecha returns to England after four years in the Bundesliga with Wolfsburg. Injuries limited Nmecha to just 85 appearances, in which he scored 19 goals.
Now, Nmecha returns to England after coming through Manchester City’s academy and playing three times – earning a debut under current boss Pep Guardiola in the Carabao Cup and the Premier League.
Nmecha also enjoyed loan spells at Preston and Middlesbrough, before shining at Anderlecht under the guidance of Vincent Kompany which earned him a move to Wolfsburg back in the summer of 2021.
Wolfsburg actually wanted to keep Lukas Nmecha this summer
The feeling was that Nmecha was always leaving Wolfsburg with his contract running down and that he had only managed to play 19 matches during 2024-25. However, Wolfsburg did try to keep the striker.
German magazine Kicker say that Wolfsburg even offered Nmecha a new contract to remain with the Bundesliga side. However, the contract was largely performance-related rather than a large base salary.
The report claims this is due to his injuries over the past few seasons at Wolfsburg. Instead, Nmecha has chosen to leave Wolfsburg and join Leeds – with his transfer set to be finalised on the first of July.
What Wolfsburg’s sporting director has said about the move
Leeds now have four options to choose from up top, along with Joel Piroe, Patrick Bamford and Mateo Joseph and that is likely to increase. Graham Smyth says Leeds are looking to sign a top-priority striker.
After the move had been confirmed, Wolfsburg sporting director Sebastian Schindzielorz praised Nmecha for always maintaining standards despite struggling to be available for large parts of his stay.
“Lukas always conducted himself in a highly professional manner, even during difficult periods. Despite a few setbacks, he never lost focus and always put the team first. We wish him all the best for the future.”
With Nmecha and another striker now expected to join Leeds this summer, it increases the possibility of Mateo Joseph agreeing a move to Real Betis. LeedsUnited.News understands Joseph wants to join Betis.
Receive a digest of our best Leeds content each week direct to your mailbox
