Leeds eye £40m deal to seal a better signing than Diomande

Leeds United are aiming to kick on and aim higher up the table after they finished 14th in the Premier League in their first season back in the big time under Daniel Farke.

The German head coach made it clear that he does not want to fight relegation each year and that he wants to compete at the top end of the table, which requires ambition behind the scenes.

Recent reports linking the club with a move for Sporting CP central defender Ousmane Diomande suggest that the higher-ups share Farke’s ambition for the Whites.

The Ivorian star would cost a club-record transfer fee of £40m to bring to Elland Road, which means that it would be a significant investment during the summer window.

Diomande only played 17 times in the league for Sporting in the 2025/26 campaign, but he has won two league titles during his time with the Portuguese giants.

Leeds eyeing move to sign England international

The £40m-rated star would be a strong addition to the squad as an experienced defender, who has played 18 times in the Champions League, but there may be question marks over his lack of game time this term.

With that in mind, the club could land an even better signing than Diomande by swooping for another one of their reported targets for the off-season.

According to TEAMtalk, Leeds United are one of a number of clubs in the race to sign Manchester City goalkeeper James Trafford in the upcoming summer transfer window.

The report claims that Tottenham Hotspur, Aston Villa, and Newcastle United could all make moves for the England international, who is currently with Thomas Tuchel’s squad at the World Cup, if they need a new number one in the coming weeks.

It adds that the Cityzens are looking for a fee in excess of £40m for the English stopper, which would eclipse the £35.5m record fee that Leeds paid Hoffenheim for Georginio Rutter in January 2023.

However, TEAMtalk reveals that the Whites have yet to make a serious move for the former Burnley star, so it remains to be seen whether or not they will make an official offer for his services.

Why Leeds should break their transfer record for James Trafford

Whilst Diomande could be a fine addition to the squad, given his experience in Europe and winning titles with Sporting, Trafford could be an even better signing who is worth breaking their transfer record for.

The Ivorian defender missed 11 games through injury in the 2025/26 campaign and lost 62% of his ground duels in the Portuguese top-flight, which suggests that he would not be a guaranteed success at Elland Road.

Trafford, however, is proven in English football and has never missed a game through injury in his senior career, only missing one match through illness for Burnley in the 2024/25 campaign.

The 23-year-old star was the second-choice behind Gianluigi Donnarumma for Pep Guardiola this season, yet still showed his quality in the League Cup final against Arsenal and the FA Cup semi-final and final against Liverpool and Chelsea.

Trafford stepped up in three huge games against some of the biggest teams in the country to keep clean sheets in all three games, including two finals to win two trophies.

The £40m-rated star also prevented 2.53 xG with his saves across four appearances in the Premier League, whilst Karl Darlow conceded 1.50 more than expected and Lucas Perri let in 2.18 more than expected.

Leeds could, therefore, significantly improve their team by signing Trafford because he has the quality and experience to walk straight into Farke’s team as a difference-making goalkeeper who is far more influential as a shot-stopper than the manager’s current options.

Prior to joining City, the England international also kept 29 clean sheets in 45 matches and prevented a staggering 12.82 goals based on the xG of the shots against him in the Championship with Burnley in the 2024/25 campaign.

He is a goalkeeper who has the quality to consistently win points for his team with the extraordinary saves that he can make, and has proven that quality in the Premier League and under pressure in big games against top-level opponents.

Diomande, on the other hand, is unproven in English football and did struggle with his defensive duels in the Portuguese league, which puts a question mark over his defending ahead of a possible move to the Premier League.

Therefore, Trafford would be an even better signing for the Whites and they should opt to pursue a club-record deal for him over the defender if they only have the funds for one mega deal this summer.