Leeds United ‘monitoring’ Djaoui Cissé as Bayer Leverkusen lodge €20m offer | OneFootball

According to AfricaFoot, Leeds United are monitoring Rennes midfielder Djaoui Cissé, 22, as Bayer Leverkusen lodge a €20m (£17m) bid, with West Ham, Arsenal, Newcastle and Aston Villa also interested and a valuation set at €15-20m.

Leverkusen have set the early pace, turning this into a question of timing for any Premier League suitors.

Daniel Farke already has depth in central areas. Ethan Ampadu, Sean Longstaff, Anton Stach, Ao Tanaka and Ilia Gruev have all featured heavily. Longstaff has 18 league starts plus eight from the bench, while the injured Stach has 26 starts.

Cissé would be about raising the level rather than plugging a gap. He has been a standout for Rennes in 2025-26 and profiles as a two-way, transitional midfielder rather than a final-third specialist.

His Ligue 1 return reads 21 appearances and roughly 950 minutes, with 12 chances created, no goals and no assists. Out of possession he has 51 recoveries and 31 tackles, and an 80.8 per cent pass completion shows tidy use of the ball.

Rennes assistant Sébastien Bichard has praised Cissé’s game understanding and problem recognition. The France U21 international is under contract until 2030, and he is a teammate of former Leeds midfielder Glen Kamara.

Source: Leedsunited.news