Leeds weighing up swoop for “magical” £20m star

Leeds United are in the market to make further additions to their first-team squad to bolster their options across the park ahead of their Premier League campaign.

The Whites made their first signing of the off-season earlier this month when they completed a free transfer for Germany international Lukas Nmecha, who will officially join when his contract with Wolfsburg expires at the end of this month.

Since the start of the 2023/24 campaign, the 26-year-old centre-forward has scored five goals in 24 appearances for Wolfsburg in all competitions, including three goals in 19 Bundesliga games this season.

The new Whites striker could be competing with Joel Piroe, Patrick Bamford, and Mateo Joseph for a place in the starting XI, along with any other number nines the club opt to bring in.

Nmecha is not going to be the only player signed by the Championship champions before the summer transfer window slams shut at the start of September.

Leeds have been linked with plenty of different attacking players, from the domestic market and abroad, and Brighton & Hove Albion playmaker Facundo Buonanotte is one name that has been mentioned as a target.

Why Leeds may want to sign Buonanotte

It was reported earlier this month that Leeds were confident of closing a £30m deal to sign the attacking midfielder, but there has not been an update on that situation since the initial report.

Buonanotte spent the 2024/25 campaign on loan at Leicester City in the Premier League and caught the eye with some promising performances, despite their relegation back down to the Championship.

As you can see in the table above, he was more impressive than Brenden Aaronson was in his season in the Premier League with Leeds, which suggests that he could provide an upgrade on what Daniel Farke currently has in the number ten position.

That came after the left-footed magician scored three goals and provided one assist in 27 appearances in the division in the previous season, which shows that he improved during his time at the King Power Stadium.

Leeds may, therefore, want to sign the 20-year-old starlet because he has already showcased his qualities, as both a scorer and a creator in the Premier League, and could improve Farke’s options in the middle of the park.

However, the Whites are now reportedly eyeing up another couple of attacking midfield options, and one of them, in particular, could be even better than Buonanotte.

Leeds weighing up moves for attacking midfielders

According to journalist Graeme Bailey, Leeds are keen on signing one of Sheffield United’s Gustavo Hamer and Aston Villa’s Emiliano Buendia in the summer transfer window.

Speaking to Leeds United News, Bailey said: “What we’re seeing in the no.10 role is that Leeds are able to be picky. There’s no need to jump in with both feet on a Hamer or a Buendia.

“They are weighing up options but I firmly believe Leeds will sign a no.10 and I also believe the front-runners are those two. It will be one of those and we know Farke likes both of them.”

The Whites are weighing up whether to go for Buendia or Hamer to bolster their options in the attacking midfield position, and CaughtOffside recently reported that the former is valued at £20m by Aston Villa.

With all of this information in mind, Farke should push for the West Yorkshire outfit to snap up the Villans outcast because he would be an even better option than Buonanotte.

Why Leeds should sign Emiliano Buendia

Buendia is a proven Premier League performer who is experienced but also has plenty of years left ahead of him to give the Whites many years of quality performances.

The 28-year-old playmaker has produced ten goals and 15 assists, and created 25 ‘big chances’, in 121 appearances in the English top-flight for Norwich City and Aston Villa combined, which shows that he knows how to provide goals and assists at that level.

He has also played 121 times for Farke during their time together at Norwich, playing every game for the Canaries with him in charge, and delivered 24 goals and 41 assists.

His best season in a Yellows shirt came in the 2020/21 Championship campaign under the German head coach, as he racked up 15 goals and 16 assists, along with 18 ‘big chances’ created in the second tier.

The Argentina international, who was once lauded as “magical” by analyst Liam Henshaw, knows how to play in Farke’s system, with his style of play, and has shown that he can be incredibly effective at the top end of the pitch.

As you can see in the table above, Buendia was hugely influential in possession in virtually every way possible, in scoring goals, creating chances, assisting goals, progressing play with passes, getting the ball into the final third, and getting the ball into the penalty area.

This suggests that he could be a far more effective option for Leeds in the final third than Buonanotte, who has failed to deliver more than six goals or three assists in a single season in his career to date.

Buendia, who scored two goals and created two ‘big chances’ in 11 Bundesliga appearances on loan at Bayer Leverkusen this season, could hit the ground running as an attacking midfielder who knows the Premier League and Farke.

Whereas, Buonanotte has not worked with the Leeds head coach in the past and could need time to adapt to the system and way of working, which is why the Villa attacker could be a much better option for the Whites as they look to start strong in their bid to avoid relegation.

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