Leeds’ £21m transfer pursuit of Inter and Juventus target casts doubt on pair’s future | OneFootball

Leeds United are reportedly ready to duke it out with Serie A giants Juventus and Inter Milan for Udinese star Oumar Solet – which could precipitate the departure of two fringe players.

After Leeds sold centre-back Pascal Struijk to Brighton for a fee worth up to £20m earlier this month, Whites fans have been clamouring for the club to sign a replacement.

That could come in the form of Sassuolo defender Tarik Muharemovic, who has been the subject of a successful £34.1m bid from Daniel Farke‘s team.

However, the 23-year-old is yet to agree personal terms or complete a medical, so there is no guarantee this deal will get over the line.

If the Bosnia-Herzegovina international does head to Elland Road, he will bolster a centre-back cohort of Joe Rodon, Jaka Bijol, the versatile James, Sebastiaan Bornauw, and Max Wober.

Three of those players very much have a future at Leeds; one is facing uncertain times, and the other is not part of the club’s plans for the upcoming season.

Oumar Solet pursuit spells the end for Leeds duo?

Wober joined Leeds in January 2023 on a four-and-a-half-year deal but to date, he has proven to be one of the club’s worst signings in recent memory.

The Austrian was part of the Leeds team that got relegated in 2023, he went out on loan at Borussia Monchengladbach when the Whites were in the Championship, and over the past two years, injuries have taken their toll.

He is into the last year of his contract and Leeds will be eager to get him off their payroll. Now, Tuttomercatoweb claims that the Premier League team are ‘pressing’ to sign Solet from Udinese.

The Serie A outfit are reportedly eyeing a £21m sale for the Frenchman, who has been linked with Juventus and Inter Milan.

If the 26-year-old joins, there will be no place for Wober and that could also be the case for Bornauw, who played just 14 times for Leeds last season.

While Farke switched from two centre-backs to three late in November last season, a tactic that paid dividends, reports suggest the German wants to be more possession-dominant in the future.

That would mean going back to a back four, which would make competition among the centre-backs even more fierce.

If Leeds do want to establish themselves in the Premier League, in stark contrast to what they did during their three-year stay in the top-flight between 2020-23, they need to improve the quality of the first-team and wider squad.

Players such as Solet, Muharemovic, and Wilson could be examples of that, with Leeds also, arguably, needing a central midfielder, a striker, a goalkeeper, and more.

With pre-season now underway, more signings and sales are expected. Whether or not Leeds can have another successful summer transfer window remains to be seen.