Leeds have been making moves to sign £42m star

Even before a ball was kicked last season, many pundits feared for Leeds United’s Premier League safety after they secured promotion from the Championship.

Daniel Farke had previously failed to fend off relegation during his previous attempts at Norwich City, whilst many questioned the recruitment he conducted at Elland Road.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin was seen as the main attacking addition 12 months ago, after he was released from Everton following a continuous streak of injuries.

However, the 29-year-old put such issues behind him in Yorkshire throughout 1025/26, subsequently scoring 14 times in the league – the most of any player in the squad.

This window presents Farke with a fresh opportunity to land added talents to improve his squad, but a real impetus needs to be directed towards quality over quantity this summer.

Leeds start work on a deal to sign £42m star

Despite the window opening on Monday, Leeds have already started work on a number of potential additions to help Farke in his chances of building on survival.

Southampton midfielder Shea Charles has been named as one potential addition for the Whites after their failure to secure promotion back to the Premier League.

A fee in the region of £20m is expected to be enough to secure the 22-year-old’s signature, with Everton also circling to secure the Northern Irishman’s signature.

He’s not the only player to be named as a target in recent days, with Como attacking midfielder Martin Baturina another who has been linked with a move to Elland Road.

According to Sky Italy, Leeds have already made previous attempts to land the Croatian international – who even netted against England on Wednesday night.

The report states Manchester United and Bayern Munich are two other sides closely monitoring the 23-year-old’s progress ahead of a potential transfer this window.

The Serie A outfit are said to be reluctant to offload the attacking star during the months ahead, but could be tempted to cash in if an offer of €50m (£42m) is presented.

Why Baturina would be a bigger talent than Okafor for Leeds

As part of last summer’s huge recruitment drive at Leeds, the club managed to secure the £17m signing of attacker Noah Okafor from Italian outfit, AC Milan.

The Swiss international arrived after failing to score a goal in 2024/25, but it’s safe to say he made an immediate impact and managed to get the supporters on side in Yorkshire.

He ended the recent season on eight goals in the Premier League, with only fellow summer addition Calvert-Lewin managing to net more for Farke’s side.

Okafor has often floated between the number ten role behind the striker and even featured alongside the Englishman on numerous occasions in the manager’s three-back system.

However, he may find minutes hard to come by during the upcoming season, especially if the hierarchy are able to secure a move for Baturina in the months ahead.

The Croatian international has been one of Serie A’s star performers over the last couple of months, as seen by his remarkable tally of eight goals and four assists across all competitions.

His underlying stats from the recent campaign in Italy highlight his all-round quality, with such a move certainly fitting the club’s remit – adding quality over quantity.

Attacking midfielder Baturina, who’s been dubbed “outrageous” by analyst Antonio Mango, created a staggering 3.6 chances per 90 in Italy’s top flight.

The aforementioned tally ranks him within the top 3% of all midfielders in Serie A, subsequently highlighting his superb ability to create opportunities for those around him.

His 40% cross accuracy is also another sign of his tremendous quality within forward areas – also ranking him within the top 3% of attackers in the division.

Okafor has also been unable to get near any of the aforementioned figures throughout 2025/26, further reinforcing the fact a move for the Como star would be an upgrade on the Swiss star.

Whilst no deal has yet been agreed for the 23-year-old, the interest in the attacker is a huge statement of intent from Leeds in their hunt for added glory in the near future.

Spending £42m on the 23-year-old would be a new record deal for the Whites, but it could prove to be a bargain should he provide the goods on a consistent basis in Yorkshire.