Why Leeds are trying to sign £10m midfielder

Leeds United have been in the market to add a new central midfielder to their squad before the summer transfer window slams shut at the start of next month.

The Whites were in the race to land Northern Ireland international Shea Charles from Championship side Southampton earlier in the window, going as far as to submit three offers for him.

Their bids fell short of the second tier side’s valuation of the ex-Manchester City academy graduate, though, and he ended up joining Fulham for a fee of up to £30m.

Since missing out on a deal to sign the 22-year-old talent, Daniel Farke‘s side have yet to reach an agreement to bring an alternative to Elland Road.

Why Leeds United need to sign a central midfielder

The Whites need to sign another central midfielder for their squad because they lack well-rounded options to go along with the specialists they have in midfield.

Anton Stach was the only central midfielder in the squad who recorded at least five goal contributions and won over 50% of his duels on the ground and in the air in the Premier League last term.

Sean Longstaff racked up two goals and six ‘big chances’ created, but lost 55% of his aerial duels, and Ao Tanaka lost 53% of his ground duels and 52% of his aerial battles, whilst scoring two goals.

These statistics show that Longstaff and Tanaka have technical qualities that they can provide for the Whites, but they are not the most dominant when it comes to competing physically against their positional peers.

Meanwhile, the captain, Ethan Ampadu, is an incredibly dominant defensive midfielder, as evidenced by his duel success rate, yet he does not offer much to the side in the final third.

That is why the West Yorkshire outfit need to bring in another star who can offer qualities offensively and defensively as an alternative to Stach this season.

Leeds in talks to sign Ampadu and Tanaka hybrid

Now, the 49ers are said to be pursuing a player who could arrive at Elland Road as a hybrid of the defensive-minded Ampadu and the attack-minded Tanaka.

Spanish outlet Noticias Betis reports that Leeds United are interested in a deal to sign Nelson Deossa from Real Betis before the end of the summer transfer window.

The Whites have already made an offer of around £7m, which has been turned down, but the talks between the two clubs have revealed that a fee of £10m would be enough to get a deal done.

The player also wants to remain with the LaLiga club beyond the transfer window, and that is another potential hurdle for Leeds to clear before they can bring him to Yorkshire.

If the Whites decide to meet the asking price and manage to convince Deossa to make the move to England, the Colombian ace could be the well-rounded midfielder that Farke needs for his squad.

His performances for Real Betis in LaLiga in the 2025/26 campaign suggest that he has the mobility and physicality to be an Ampadu-like figure out of possession in the Premier League.

He only started eight of his 20 appearances in the division for Real Betis last term, but his per 90 statistics show that the midfielder was an outstanding contributor defensively when on the pitch.

Deossa is a dominant player in duels, like Ampadu, as he won 60% of his overall duels and 71% of his aerial battles in the Spanish top-flight, showing that opposition players rarely get the better of him.

Prior to playing in Spain, the 26-year-old star showcased his attacking capabilities in Mexico and Colombia, with Monterrey, Pachuca, and Atletico Nacional.

Across the 2023, 2024, and 2025 campaigns, Deossa racked up 22 goals and ten assists in all competitions at club level, which shows that he does have the potential to make a big impact at the top end of the pitch.

He could, therefore, be like Tanaka, who has scored nine goals in two seasons with Leeds, as a midfielder who can get forward to chip in with goals from the middle of the park.

Overall, Deossa appears to be the well-rounded central midfielder that Leeds are looking for because he can combine Ampadu’s defensive dominance with Tanaka’s technical excellence.