Leeds United are flexing their ambition in the transfer market this summer in an attempt to build a squad that can push on in the Premier League this season.
Daniel Farke made it clear at the end of last season that he did not want to settle for fighting a relegation battle, and the board have listened to him and targeted high-quality additions.
Harry Wilson has been brought in from Fulham, Tarik Muharemovic has been signed for £34m from Sassuolo, and James Trafford is on the verge of joining from Manchester City for a fee of £40m.
There is still more work to be done between now and the end of the window, though, as the Whites are also in the market to add another central midfielder to the group.
The profile of midfielder Leeds need to sign
Leeds have been linked with several different central midfielders over the course of the window, including Charleroi star Yassine Titraoui and Southampton talent Shea Charles.
The common theme running through their targets in that position is that they are all-rounders who can offer quality both on and off the ball in the middle of the park.
They are in the market for a complete midfielder to complement out-and-out defensive midfielder Ethan Ampadu and the more attack-minded Anton Stach, which is why they need a star who is similar in profile to Kalvin Phillips.
The former Leeds star made the step up to the Premier League with the club in the 2020/21 campaign under Marcelo Bielsa and offered a bit of everything in midfield.
|
20/21 PL |
Kalvin Phillips |
|---|---|
|
Appearances |
29 |
|
Key passes per game |
1.2 |
|
Big chances created |
5 |
|
Assists |
2 |
|
Successful dribbles per game |
0.7 |
|
Duels won per game |
5.3 |
|
Duel success rate |
52% |
Phillips was creative, combative, strong, and silky with the ball at his feet, and those qualities eventually earned him a move to Manchester City for £45m in the summer of 2022.
Leeds should be aiming to sign a player with similar attributes to bolster their current squad, as they would complement what Stach and Ampadu provide.
How Leeds United can sign their next Kalvin Phillips
Now, the club are already looking at a target who could arrive at Elland Road as the second coming of Phillips ahead of the upcoming Premier League campaign.
Tuesday’s printed edition of Corriere dello Sport reports that Leeds United are interested in a deal to sign Petar Sucic from Serie A giants Inter in the summer transfer window.
The outlet claims that the Whites have already made contact to open talks with Inter about what a move for the Croatian star would look like, and that it would cost a fee of up to £34m to secure his services.
It adds that the Italian side are not looking to sell the 22-year-old talent this summer, though, and that means that Leeds will need to make a strong pitch to convince them to part ways with the midfield talent.
The club’s decision to approach Inter about such an expensive deal for the Croatia international shows that the 49ers mean business this summer, off the back of spending £34m on Muharemovic and agreeing a £40m deal for Trafford.
Sucic only started 21 of his 34 appearances in the Serie A for Inter in the 2025/26 campaign, but his performances in the minutes that he did play suggest that he could be the next version of Phillips at Elland Road.
|
25/26 Serie A |
Sucic per 90 |
Rank vs CMs |
|---|---|---|
|
Goals |
0.10 |
Top 27% |
|
xA |
0.16 |
Top 10% |
|
Chances created |
1.48 |
Top 17% |
|
Pass accuracy |
89% |
Top 14% |
|
Successful dribbles |
0.76 |
Top 34% |
|
Tackles won |
2.35 |
Top 25% |
|
Duels won |
5.00 |
Top 38% |
|
Aerial duel success rate |
57% |
Top 19% |
The Croatian midfield maestro ranked highly among his positional peers in a plethora of metrics, as he excelled as an attacking threat, as a tempo-setter, a dribbler, and as a combative midfielder.
Sucic showed that he can do a bit of everything in midfield, contributing in all phases of play for Inter, and that is exactly what Phillips offered during his time at the club in the Premier League.
It is not just his form for Inter that suggests that he would be an all-rounder for Leeds, though, as he also scored five goals and created five ‘big chances’, whilst winning 50% of his duels, in 26 HNL appearances in the 2024/25 campaign for Dinamo Zagreb.
Sucic has proven that he has what it takes to deliver in a major European league, performing at a high level for Inter last term, and he started three times at the World Cup for Croatia, scoring one goal and providing one assist.
The 22-year-old star would be another ambitious signing by the Whites, given the fee that it would take and his performances for club and country, and it is one that they should push hard for so that Farke can have his own version of Phillips at his disposal.
