Leeds still in the race to sign “relentless” £21m star

Leeds United have bolstered their defence and midfield with several additions since the summer transfer window officially opened for business last month.

Sebastiaan Bornauw, Jaka Bijol, and Gabriel Gudmundsson have arrived to improve the backline, whilst Sean Longstaff and Anton Stach have been signed to beef up the midfield.

The Whites have also reportedly agreed a deal to sign French goalkeeper Lucas Perri from Lyon to be their new number one in the Premier League.

Daniel Farke is also looking to add to his options at the top end of the pitch, on top of Lukas Nmecha, though, with a swoop for Feyenoord attacker Igor Paixao.

Reporter Graham Smyth claims that Leeds have offered a fee in excess of £26m to sign the Brazilian forward, but it remains to be seen if that will be enough to get a deal over the line.

As Smyth states, though, the player is impressed by the club’s plans for him, which could give them an edge over other teams in the race for his signature.

Why Leeds should sign Igor Paixao

The Whites should push to get this deal over the line because he could be a terrific addition to the squad to bolster their options in the forward line.

Manor Solomon, who started on the left flank regularly in the Championship last season, has returned to Tottenham Hotspur, which has left a hole on the left wing in the team’s best XI.

Paixao predominantly plays on the left, as a right-footed player, and could slot in as the perfect replacement for the Israel international ahead of the 2025/26 campaign.

If he can translate his form from last season in the Netherlands over to English football, Leeds will have an incredibly exciting winger who could win them vital points in the Premier League next term on their hands.

Paixao delivered 18 goals and 14 assists in all competitions for Feyenoord in the 2024/25 campaign, which included four assists in 11 outings in the Champions League.

As you can see in the table above, the Brazilian winger could even provide more quality than Solomon in the final third, given that he registered more goal contributions in fewer matches at a higher level last season.

Whilst Paixao, as evidenced by his form for Feyenoord, could be a fantastic signing for Leeds, Farke also needs a new centre-forward option and the club are reportedly still in the race for a Championship forward.

Leeds remain in the race for Championship striker

Speaking on the Pink Un podcast (24/07/2025), journalist Paddy Davitt mentioned that Leeds United are one of the teams interested in Norwich City centre-forward Josh Sargent.

The reporter explained that the USA international has already turned down a potential move to Bundesliga side Wolfsburg, who had reportedly been close to a £21m deal for the number nine.

Sargent now remains at Norwich and there is no other deal that is close to being done for the striker, as per Davitt, which has left the door open for other teams to make their move.

Leeds and Burnley are said to still be interested in the former Werder Bremen attacker, but it remains to be seen whether or not they will formalise their interest with an official approach for the Championship marksman.

Farke signed Sargent for Norwich when he was in charge of the Canaries in the summer of 2021, and could reunite with the 25-year-old attacker ahead of next season.

Why Leeds should sign Josh Sargent

The Whites should swoop to sign the striker because he could be amazing alongside Paixao in the Premier League, if the Championship champions are able to get both deals over the line to improve their frontline.

Of course, first and foremost, Sargent has to be an upgrade on what they already have in the building in the number nine position, in Joel Piroe, and his form last season suggests that he is.

As you can see in the table above, Sargent outperformed his xG at a higher rate and created high-quality chances for his teammates per 90, whilst offering significantly more to the team out of possession as a physical presence in the number nine role.

This suggests that the Norwich star, who Tony Pulis described as “relentless”, is more likely to make an impact in the Premier League against stronger defences than Piroe, who was too much of a lightweight at times in the Championship, is.

Sargent’s returns of 15 goals from 13.37 xG last season and 16 goals from 12.68 xG in the 2023/24 campaign in the Championship show that he is an efficient striker who can finish chances effectively.

This is why he could be a fantastic partner for Paixao in the Leeds team in the Premier League next season, as the current Feyenoord star is a winger who likes to consistently create high-quality chances.

The Brazilian forward created 17 ‘big chances’ for his teammates last season, which shows that he likes to get on the ball to split open opposition defences with passes and crosses.

This could make him the perfect teammate for Sargent at Elland Road because the American striker is a clinical forward who knows how to find the back of the net efficiently, albeit he has yet to prove himself at Premier League level on a regular basis.

Both players would arrive with question marks over them, as neither are Premier League proven forward, but their respective statistics for Norwich and Feyenoord last season suggest that the potential is there for them to form an exciting partnership in West Yorkshire.

It is now down to the club to get deals done for both players to come in and improve Farke’s options at the top end of the pitch ahead of the first game against Everton.