Leeds United have put plenty of work into improving their options across the backline since the summer transfer window officially opened for business last month.
The Championship champions confirmed their latest arrival of the window last week when they unveiled Brazilian goalkeeper Lucas Perri as their number one for next season.
He has arrived from Ligue 1 side Lyon on a permanent deal to compete with Illan Meslier and Karl Darlow, and will play ahead of the likes of Sebastiaan Bornauw, Gabriel Gudmundsson, and Jaka Bijol, who have also been signed to improve the defence.
In front of the backline, Leeds have also swooped to sign defensive midfielders Sean Longstaff and Anton Stach to provide some steel in front of the back four in the top-flight.
German centre-forward Lukas Nmecha, who arrived on a free transfer from Wolfsburg, is the only attacking player who has been added to the squad this summer, though, and the club could now turn to signings in the forward areas.
When the Whites were last promoted to the Premier League under Marcelo Bielsa, the signing of forward Raphinha was vital to their survival.
Why Leeds need their next Raphinha
Leeds need to find Daniel Farke his own version of Raphinha before the end of the summer transfer window because the club’s current options in the attacking midfield and wide positions are uninspiring.
The West Yorkshire outfit do not have any players in those positions who have shown that they have the quality to make a big impact in the Premier League next season, as they all struggled in their most recent seasons in the division.
Appearances
24
36
34
24
Goals
2
1
1
2
Big chances created
3
5
6
3
Key passes per game
0.4
1.3
1.0
1.0
Assists
1
3
0
4
As you can see in the table above, Dan James, Brenden Aaronson, Jack Harrison, and Wilfried Gnonto have only scored six goals combined in their most recent seasons in the Premier League.
Raphinha, however, scored 11 goals and created ten ‘big chances’ in 35 top-flight games in his second and final season at Elland Road, after a return of six goals, 12 ‘big chances’ created, and nine assists in his first year in the league.
The Brazilian forward, who signed from Rennes for a fee of £17m in the summer of 2020, made a huge impact in front of goal with his quality as both a scorer and a creator of goals, and it does not seem like Farke has any similar players in his current squad.
That is why the Whites must dip back into the market to improve their attacking options, which appears to be what they are on the verge of doing.
Leeds set to agree deal for Brazilian forward
According to L’Equipe, Leeds United are on course to reach an agreement with Feyenoord over the signing of Brazilian winger Igor Paixao this summer.
The report claims that the Whites have submitted an offer of around £28m, with add-ons on top of that, and the Eredivisie side are said to be happy with the numbers involved, but it is now down to the clubs to finalise the finer details.
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It adds that Ligue 1 side Marseille are also interested in signing the 25-year-old forward and have already agreed a five-year contract with the player.
However, the French outfit have failed to reach an agreement with Feyenoord on a transfer fee, which opened the door for Leeds to swoop in with this latest offer.
L’Equipe states that Marseille will need to raise their offer to match the Whites’ proposal if they want to remain in the race to sign the attacker, but it remains to be seen if they are willing or able to do so.
Disclaimer: Since this article was published, Marseille have now reached an agreement to sign Paixao, according to Fabrizio Romano.
What Igor Paixao would bring to Leeds
Leeds must push to get this deal over the line before Marseille can re-enter the race because he would bring plenty of goals and assists to Elland Road next season.
Paixao has the quality on the ball to be the next electric Brazilian sensation to grace the wings in the Premier League for Leeds, following in Raphinha’s footsteps in West Yorkshire.
The Feyenoord star showcased his quality in the Champions League with two goals, including the one in the post above, and four assists in 11 games during the 2024/25 campaign.
On top of his impressive performances on the European stage, which showed that he can compete against the best of the best on the continent, Paixao also delivered exceptional numbers in the Eredivisie for his side.
xG
10.56
Top 2%
Goals
16
Top 2%
xG on target
16.25
Top 2%
Shots on target
43
Top 2%
xA
6.71
Top 4%
Assists
10
Top 3%
Chances created
70
Top 1%
Successful crosses
36
Top 2%
As you can see in the table above, the Leeds target was one of the best players, if not the best player, in the Dutch top-flight when it came to making an impact as a scorer and a creator of goals last term.
Analyst Ben Mattinson claimed that Paixao has “insane” technique from long range, and he has scored six goals from outside the box in the last two Eredivisie seasons to back that up.
This suggests that the £28m-rated star could provide Leeds supporters with some special moments on the pitch by scoring some long-range screamers to win vital points for the team in the Premier League next season.
Paixao is a winger who can score great goals, score goals on a regular basis, and create and assist goals consistently, and has proven himself in the Champions League.
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This is why he could be Farke’s own version of Raphinha, who helped Leeds to stay in the Premier League for two seasons with his goals and assists, as he could be a match-winner for the club with his quality in the final third.