Leeds could sign an upgrade for just £17m

The new Premier League season is just over a week away, and Leeds United‘s midfield unit still needs reinforcements, having missed out on top target, Shea Charles.

The 49ers had lodged two bids for the Northern Ireland international, yet neither met Southampton’s £30m asking price, with the pursuit becoming something of a protracted summer saga.

That inability to strike an agreement ultimately allowed Fulham to swoop in and secure the 22-year-old themselves, forking out an initial £26m fee with £4m in add-ons.

Daniel Farke‘s side will then have to shift their attention elsewhere over the coming weeks, but it would be wrong to suggest that missing out on Charles is a total disaster.

Why Leeds missing out on Charles isn’t a major blow

Charles is a talent, undoubtedly, with there having been merit in snapping up such a versatile, athletic midfielder, one whom EFL expert, Ali Maxwell, has tipped to be a “£50m-£60m player” before too long.

And yet, it’s not as if the ex-Manchester City youngster had necessarily sparkled during his time at St Mary’s, having made the move to the south coast on a £15m deal in 2023.

He subsequently started just 15 games in his debut campaign with the Saints in the Championship, failing to score or register an assist, while also failing to create a single ‘big chance’.

A loan move to Sheffield Wednesday followed ahead of 2024/25, with that year at least seeing Charles secure regular game time, impressing under Danny Rohl’s watch after racking up six goals and assists in 42 starts in the second tier.

Having then returned to his parent club last season, the 35-cap international perhaps suffered from the turbulent nature of Southampton’s campaign, restricted to just 22 league starts.

It was his goal against Middlesbrough which looked to have sent the Saints to Wembley, prior to their subsequent expulsion, with that one of four league goals he scored all season.

A promising, yet unspectacular campaign, it must be said, with £30m a significant outlay for a player with just one Premier League game under their belt, having predominantly featured in the second tier.

Indeed, losing out to the Cottagers may not seem like too great a blow, therefore, particularly if a potential upgrade emerges on the table.

Leeds in the mix to sign a bigger talent than Charles

It isn’t yet overly clear who Leeds will pivot to in this midfield search, and having seen their interest in Charles drag on and on, time is running out to laser in on an alternative.

One name that has been mentioned, according to reports in Turkey, is AC Milan’s Yunus Musah, with the Whites among the clubs who are in the mix for his signature.

Relegated West Ham United are also said to be in the frame, as are Lazio, although the team leading the interest appears to be Mohamed Salah’s Trabzonspor.

Amid that Turkish interest, prior reports have indicated that Milan could be looking for a fee of between €20m (£17m) and €15m (£13m), albeit with an exit not a certainty considering his ability to play in a number of roles in Ruben Amorim’s 3-4-2-1 system.

It is that versatility, with Musah comfortably operating in central midfield or on the flanks, that would make the 23-year-old a perfect alternative to Charles. Indeed, you might even say the American represents an upgrade.

Only a year older than Fulham’s new man, Musah already boasts a wealth of experience at the elite level, having first moved to Valencia from Arsenal as a teenager in 2019.

He made just over 100 appearances in Spain, scoring and assisting eight goals from his number six berth, doing enough to seal his move to Milan in 2023.

82 games for the San Siro side have followed, alongside a further five assists, although Musa did spend last season on loan at Serie A rivals Atalanta, scoring and assisting three goals in 27 games.

He was subsequently left out of Mauricio Pochettino’s World Cup squad, although the £17m-rated star has already racked up 47 caps for his country, even more than Charles has achieved at a similar age.

In the view of former Milan boss, Stefano Pioli, Musah is a “complete player“, someone who can be relied upon either at wing-back or in central midfield.

That should ensure he’s a perfect fit in Farke’s set-up at Elland Road, with it hard to overlook a player who has already racked up over 200 games in Italy and Spain, having spent the last six seasons in either LaLiga or Serie A.

Charles is still an unknown quantity at that real top level, suggesting that for all the frustration of missing out on the former Saints star, Leeds and the 49ers might not have an even bigger talent in mind.