With the summer transfer window now into its final few weeks, Leeds United are hoping to get some deals over the line before the market closes, but one name will have to be chalked off of Daniel Farke’s list of targets.
The Whites have had quite a busy window so far and are set for a £25 million cash windfall once Crysencio Summerville’s move to Premier League side West Ham United comes to fruition. Journalist Florian Plettenberg reported yesterday that the winger had completed his medical in East London, while it is believed that the Dutchman is set to sign a four-year contract with the Hammers.
Furthermore, the future of Italian forward Wilfried Gnonto is still uncertain. The 20-year-old has garnered interest from several clubs in Europe’s top-five leagues, including Everton who have recently reignited their interest in Gnonto after failing to secure his signature in the previous summer window.
Alongside the departures of Archie Gray to Tottenham Hotspur and Glen Kamara to Ligue 1 side Rennes, Farke’s squad has lost a wealth of talent ahead of the club’s bid for promotion to the Premier League at the second attempt. As a result, signings will need to be made before the window shuts to complement the arrivals of Joe Rothwell, Alex Cairns and Jayden Bogle as well as the return of central defender Joe Rodon.
One name that has been linked with a move to Leeds United this summer is Norwich City star Gabriel Sara. Italian outlet Corriere dello Sport reported last week, via MOT Leeds News, that the West Yorkshire outfit were eyeing an ambitious raid of their promotion rivals by signing the Brazilian midfielder but faced stiff competition from Leicester City, Crystal Palace, Europa League winners Atalanta and Galatasaray.
Nevertheless, there has been a major development to this transfer battle as Turkish reporter Yağız Sabuncuoğlu has revealed that Galatasaray are close to agreeing a deal with the Canaries to sign the 24-year-old. Furthermore, Sabuncuoğlu added that the Turkish champions are keen to fly Sara out as soon as possible to complete his medical.
Reports in Brazil chipped in with further context, via Pink Un, claiming that Sara was set to sign a five-year contract with Galatasaray and that Norwich would receive a £20 million fee with a further £2.6 million in add-ons.
Writer’s View
This was always going to be a difficult deal for Leeds United to pull off. While the club have earned a lot of money from departures already this summer and will recoup even more with the prospective sale of Summerville, the Championship team simply don’t have the capabilities to pay over £20 million for one player given their willingness to stay with the confines of UEFA’s Financial Fair Play rules.
Galatasaray have built an excellent squad, one which lifted the Turkish Super Lig last season with 102 points and picked up a huge victory over Manchester United in the Champions League group stages. Sara will be just another fine addition to Okan Buruk’s squad ahead of their title defence.