Leeds can forget about Igor Paixao by signing “unstoppable” forward

Leeds United are looking to add another attacking player to Daniel Farke‘s offensive ranks before the summer transfer window slams shut at the start of next month.

So far, Harry Wilson is the only forward player who has been brought in by the Whites since the window opened, as he was snapped up on a free transfer from Fulham.

The big money in this window has been spent at the other end of the pitch. Tarik Muharemovic arrived from Sassuolo for £34m and James Trafford was brought in from Manchester City for £40m.

One forward who has been linked with a big-money move to Elland Road is Marseille winger Igor Paixao, who was also a target for the club when he was at Feyenoord last summer.

Why Leeds should forget about Igor Paixao

Leeds held talks with the Ligue 1 club about a deal for the Brazilian attacker whilst they were discussing a possible move to France for goalkeeper Lucas Perri.

However, it was revealed that the winger is happy at his current club and is not seeking a move away, whilst Marseille are also willing to demand a fee of £43m for the forward.

Both of those factors could prove prohibitive for the Whites in their pursuit of his services, which is why they may decide to look elsewhere for attacking reinforcements before the window slams shut.

Paixao scored 18 goals and provided 14 assists for Feyenoord in the 2024/25 campaign, hence why Leeds wanted to sign him from the Dutch side last term, and he has followed that up with a solid season in France.

The Marseille star racked up double figures for goal contributions in Ligue 1 last term, with 11 goals and assists combined, and would add a threat for the Whites in the final third.

His desire to remain at his current club and the hefty price tag looming over his head, though, suggests that Leeds will have to forget about a deal for him.

How Leeds can forget about a move for Igor Paixao

Paixao is not the only attacker who has been linked with a move to Elland Road, though, and there is another target who would be a far better alternative.

That winger just so happens to be AC Milan star, Rafael Leao. Reports last week revealed that Leeds and Aston Villa had actually already lodged a worth £46m to secure his services.

The trouble is, Leao is a superstar, “one of the best left-wingers in the world” in the words of Como scout Ben Mattinson and currently earns £9m-per-year.

REUTERS/Pedro Nunes

If a deal is realistic, the 49ers should forget all about Paixao and heavily pursue a move to bring the Milan star to England before the deadline next month.

Leao was once described as “unstoppable” at his best by World Cup winner and Athletic Bilbao star Nico Williams, and his form in the Serie A last season shows that he often can be.

He ranked highly among Serie A wingers for dribbling, creating chances, and scoring goals, which shows that defenders find it difficult to stop him when he is at his best down the left flank.

Leao is a direct and exciting player, which is why his former manager Stefano Pioli dubbed him an “early Thierry Henry“, but he still needs to work on his output in the final third.

As impressive as his return of 19 goals and ‘big chances’ created combined in the Serie A last season were, the 27-year-old star has the potential to offer even more.

The Leeds target only scored ten goals and provided three assists in all competitions, after recording double figures for both goals and assists in each of the previous four seasons for Milan.

Leao racked up 57 and 44 assists between the 2021/22 and 2024/25 campaigns for the Italian side, which shows that he can deliver consistent quality and be an unstoppable, Henry-esque, threat from the left wing when he is full of confidence.

Farke has shown that he can get the best out of struggling players, taking Noah Okafor and Dominic Calvert-Lewin on after they combined for four league goals in the 2024/25 season and helping them to combine for 22 Premier League goals.

REUTERS/Cathal Mcnaughton

The German head coach could work his magic once again with Leao and get the attacker back to his sparkling best, making him the perfect alternative to Paixao and potentially a game-changing forward for the Whites.