Leeds United have decided to splash the cash in their search for a replacement for central defender Pascal Struijk, who joined Premier League rivals Brighton & Hove Albion earlier this month.
The Whites have agreed an eye-catching £34m transfer fee with Italian side Sassuolo to bring centre-back Tarik Muharemovic to Elland Road this summer.
A medical and other formalities now await the Bosnia international before the club can officially unveil him as their second addition of the window, after Harry Wilson.
It will then be down to the 23-year-old to adapt to the Premier League and show that he is worth the sizeable fee that Daniel Farke‘s side are set to pay for his services.
How Muharemovic became a star at Sassuolo
Leeds are signing a relative newcomer to the elite stage of football because the 2025/26 campaign was the defender’s first year playing top-flight football.
Muharemovic came through the ranks at Juventus after joining their academy from Wolfsberger in Austria, but he never made a first-team appearance for the Old Lady.
He was then sold to Serie B outfit Sassuolo in the summer of 2024, having to drop down to the second tier to play first-team football, and started 22 of his 28 appearances in the division.
|
Muharemovic (Sassuolo) |
24/25 Serie B |
25/26 Serie A |
|---|---|---|
|
Appearances |
28 |
32 |
|
Goals |
1 |
2 |
|
Assists |
2 |
2 |
|
Pass accuracy |
85% |
86% |
|
Tackles + interceptions per game |
1.9 |
2.4 |
|
Duels won per game |
4.4 |
4.2 |
|
Ground duel success rate |
64% |
64% |
|
Aerial duel success rate |
65% |
64% |
The Bosnian star won promotion to the Serie A with Sassuolo and his statistics across both leagues show that he adapted brilliantly to the step up in quality.
Muharemovic, who scored twice in the top-flight last season, emerged as a star for the Italian side because he was willing to take a step back in his career, dropping down to the Serie B from Juventus, to gain the experience that he needed to kick on.
His rise to prominence at Sassuolo suggests that he has a good chance of being successful at Leeds, as he can adapt to new levels and not look out of place.
A more exciting signing than Muharemovic could be on the way to Leeds
Muharemovic’s rise to the top could be followed by another one of the club’s targets, as Farke looks to the Championship to bolster another area of his squad.
According to the Daily Mail, Leeds United still want to sign another centre-back, after bringing in Muharemovic, and want a central midfielder, a left-back, a number ten, and another centre-forward.
The report claims that the Whites remain in talks with Championship side Southampton over a deal to sign Northern Ireland international Shea Charles.
It has previously been reported that the Saints want a fee of at least £25m, though, and it remains to be seen whether or not the club are prepared to pay that much for him.
|
Leeds transfer target factfile |
|
|---|---|
|
Stat |
Shea Charles |
|
Age |
22 |
|
Current club |
Southampton |
|
Preferred foot |
Right |
|
Preferred position |
Central midfield |
|
Top-flight appearances |
1 |
|
Second division appearances |
106 |
|
National team |
Northern Ireland |
|
International caps |
35 |
Charles is similar to Muharemovic in the sense that he also came through at an elite European team, Manchester City, but did not get much of a chance before opting to move to the second division for opportunities, at Southampton.
The Northern Ireland international, though, would be an even more exciting addition to the Leeds squad because of the potential that he has to provide quality at the top end of the pitch.
Whilst Muharemovic is a dominant defender who could be a solid player for the Whites at the back, supporters love exciting moments and goals in the final third, and Charles could provide them with plenty of those moments.
The 22-year-old talent, touted as a “future £50-60m player” by EFL expert Ali Maxwell, produced six goals and two assists for the Saints last term, including a goal of the season contender against Oxford United.
He also scored goals against Premier League giants Liverpool and Arsenal in the League Cup and the FA Cup, which shows that he has the quality to deliver exciting moments against some of the best teams in the country.
That means that Charles could turn even more heads than Muharemovic, despite potentially costing £9m less, by being a more eye-catching figure in the Leeds team, because of the role that he would have for Farke’s side.
The Bosnian colossus is not a boring signing for the Whites, by any means, but the potential that Charles has to be a star as a goalscoring midfielder for Leeds if he can step up to the Premier League makes him even more exciting.
