Why Leeds want to sign £34m defender

Leeds United were dealt a significant blow at the end of last month when central defender Pascal Struijk officially moved on from Elland Road.

The Dutch star opted to move on from West Yorkshire after more than eight years at the club, signing for Premier League rivals Brighton & Hove Albion for a fee of £20m.

His contract with the Whites was due to expire at the end of the 2026/27 campaign and he was unwilling to put pen to paper on an extension, which left the club in a difficult position.

It was better for Daniel Farke‘s side to cash in now and use the funds for a long-term replacement, rather than run the risk of losing him on a free transfer next year.

Irrespective of how logical his Leeds exit was, it was a shame to see the left-footed star move on after such a long stint at Elland Road since his move from Ajax in 2018.

How Leeds hit the jackpot with Pascal Struijk

The club’s scouts deserve huge credit for identifying Struijk’s talent when he was at Ajax, as they decided to bring him in before he had played a single senior game in his career.

He was not a regular starter for Ajax’s U19s, playing 240 minutes across nine matches in the first half of the 2017/18 campaign, yet Leeds felt that he had the potential to make it in their first-team.

The Whites snapped him up on a free transfer, as his contract with the Dutch giants was expiring and they allowed him to leave for nothing, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Struijk went on to play 196 matches in all competitions for the club, winning two Championship titles, and was a regular starter in the Premier League for Farke’s side last term.

The 26-year-old colossus started 33 of his 34 appearances in the top-flight for the West Yorkshire outfit, and only Joe Rodon and Ethan Ampadu played more minutes than him within the Leeds squad.

Leeds in the race to sign a better defender than Pascal Struijk

Struijk’s importance to the team in the Premier League last season stresses how crucial it is that the Whites secure a top-quality replacement for him in the coming weeks.

Now, Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano reports that Leeds United are eyeing up a move to sign Sassuolo central defender Tarik Muharemovic in the summer transfer window.

The reporter claims that the Whites have joined the chase to land the Bosnia international, who is also being looked at by Premier League rivals Sunderland and Bournemouth.

It has previously been reported that the Serie A side are looking for a fee of around £34m for the defender, but it remains to be seen whether or not Leeds are willing to pay that asking price.

The Bosnian defender’s statistics in the Serie A last season suggest that he may be worth paying such a significant fee for, because he could arrive at Elland Road as a much better option than Struijk at centre-back.

In the 2025/26 campagin, Muharemovic posted far more impressive defensive numbers than the Dutchman in most metrics, and the ones that stand out in particular are his success rate in duels.

The Bosnian star, who scored two goals in the Serie A, was described as an “aerially dominant” player by reporter Graham Smyth, which is backed up by his 64% success rate in duels in the air.

Muharemovic would be far more dominant in his physical battles against opposition attackers than Struijk was last season if he can carry his form over to the Premier League, as he has shown himself to be more effective at winning contests both on the floor and aerially.

The 23-year-old titan, who is also a naturally left-footed player, was also dribbled past less frequently and made more tackles and interceptions for his team, which shows that he cuts out more attacks and is less of a liability defensively.

Therefore, Leeds could land the perfect replacement for Struijk by paying £34m to bring the young defender to Elland Road this summer, as his Serie A performances indicate that he would improve Farke’s side.