Ahead of the weekend fixture against Arsenal, Leeds United completed the signing of AC Milan forward Noah Okafor for £18m.
Whilst it became manager Daniel Farke’s ninth signing of the summer, the transfer actually broke a record for English football history.
Okafor’s signing took Premier League spendings to a record £2.37bn high, breaking the previous record of £2.34bn in 2023.
Overall spending does not look to slow down as the league approaches its final days of the transfer window, which officially closes on September 1.
Leeds Not Done In Transfer Market Yet
Leeds are not ready to stop spending yet, as they will look to take their signings into double figures with their return to the Premier League.
Speaking ahead of the fixture against Arsenal on Saturday, Farke said:
“I don’t speak about names but we have spoken in the full-back position, we might need an addition and also before that we would strengthen our offence before these two attacking signings and we will see if we still do.
“I would not rule out one or two more signings in the offence.”
One name still high on the agenda for Leeds is Leicester City winger Bilal El Khannouss.
According to TransferMarkt, the highly rated winger is valued at £25m, however, The Foxes are reportedly looking to command a fee of around £32m for the player.
Stiff Competition From Crystal Palace As Cifuentes Speaks Out
However, the saga has got more complicated in recent days and looks less promising for Leeds fans.
Crystal Palace have registered their interest in the Morroccan playmaker, in light of Eberechi Eze’s big money move to Arsenal.
Given the choice between the two clubs, Selhurst Park may appeal as a more attractive place to play for El Khannouss this season.
Palace will be playing in the Europa Conference League and are not expected to fight for Premier League survival in the 2025/26 campaign.
Speaking ahead of Leicester’s match against Charlton at the weekend in the Championship, manager Marti Cifuentes said:
“There’s going to be a lot of speculation and a lot of rumours about our players because they are good players, so I’m not surprised.”
“That’s the reality, at this stage of the window especially.”
“It’s 10 days left and I assume there’s going to be a lot of speculation,”
Regardless of where he goes, El Khannouss is expected to leave The Foxes before September 1.
What Happens Next For Leeds?
Cifuentes is keeping tight-lipped on the situation, seemingly due to there being no feasible update as Leeds assess whether to submit a bid for the player, and Crystal Palace wait for funds to clear from Eze’s blockbuster move to North London before preparing a bid.
The Leicester boss said: “The reality is that Bilal is with us and he’s a very good player – it’s normal, this speculation, and I will not comment much on that.”
“If someone needs to leave because we feel that’s the best for the future of the club, we will move on, and we will then find a player to help us be better.”
After the signing of Okafor, Leeds will have to assess whether another attacking option is the right move.
As Farke will be looking to reinforce in the fullback option, it may be more wise for the club to invest more at the back rather than in offensive options, which has already seen Okafor, Nmecha and Calvert-Lewin join a stacked attack.
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