Leeds United are ramping up their transfer activity as the new Premier League season edges ever closer.
Former Manchester City youth starlet Lucas Nmecha has now joined the ranks from Wolfsburg to enhance the Whites' attacking options. It's surely only a matter of time before Jaka Bijol is announced too, after he has allegedly undergone a medical at Elland Road.
jaka-bijol-udinese
The next logical step would be to add some reinforcements in the middle of the park, therefore, and Leeds' wish could be granted if they were to land a former Premier League ace.
Leeds interested in deal for £25m star
Strengthening the midfield ranks is evidently a key priority for Leeds this summer with moves for the likes of Habib Diarra and Noah Sadiki reportedly lined up.
Diarra seems to be a more concrete target at the moment with fresh claims suggesting that they made a bid worth £21m.
Slow progress is being made on that deal, so the Whites are seeking alternatives. Well, according to a new report from Italian outlet Tuttosport, via Sport Witness, Leeds are in the picture to land former Aston Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz this summer.
The report states that Luiz will be allowed to leave Juventus this off-season after a mediocre stint in Turin, but Leeds could well be put off by the Serie A giants and their asking price, with Igor Tudor's men having purchased the Brazilian for a bumper £42m fee.
Douglas-Luiz-Aston-Villa-stats (timeless)
The move could still have legs on a loan-to-buy basis, however, with the report clarifying that such a deal would only cost Daniel Farke's men £25m down the line. That marks a sharp decrease from Luiz's staggering £100m valuation back in 2023.
Thus, that £25m fee feels like a reasonable fee to pay for the South American, with his reputation needing to be repaired, and that could occur back in England, where he once starred for Unai Emery's men regularly.
Why Luiz could become Leeds' new Raphinha-like star
Luiz could come in and seriously improve Farke's midfield options, with this deal having a similar feel to when Leeds purchased another Brazilian from Europe in the form of Raphinha for a bargain £16m, with the rest now history on the end of the Barcelona superstar.
Obviously, Raphinha didn't have the backdrop of flopping at Rennes before he relocated to West Yorkshire, but it would have been seen as a savvy deal at the time, with Leeds only having to fork out a modest fee to win the slick winger.
The 34-time Brazil international would go on to cement himself in Leeds hearts everywhere with his skilful performances throughout his short stay, leading to the now Barca number 11 collecting 17 goals and 12 assists from 67 appearances, with his efforts as the Whites' top goalscorer during his swansong season at Elland Road helping Leeds to just about beat the drop.
Luiz might well follow in Raphinha's footsteps and be the energetic presence Leeds need to secure their Premier League status this coming season, with the Rio De Janeiro-born midfielder a proven top-flight performer.
Farke would love to call upon Luiz as an additional central body, therefore, with the vibrant Brazilian capable of getting stuck in when needed. Like Raphinha, who's now a firm Ballon d'Or contender, he's got fine pedigree, notably hailed as "one of the best 6s in the Premier League" and "one of the best [midfielders] in the world" by Sky Italia.
2025 Ballon d'Or favourites
That's showcased perfectly by his numbers for the Villans, where he ranked within the top 7% of midfielders in the Premier League in 2023/24 for goals, demonstrating his attacking flair to go alongside his defensive qualities.
Luiz's numbers in the PL for Villa by season
Stat (* = per game)
Games played
Goals scored
Assists
Touches*
Accurate passes*
Big chances created
Tackles*
Clearances*
Total duels won*
Stats by Sofascore
Luiz only got better and better the more his Premier League journey at Villa Park went on, culminating in him firing home a ridiculous nine Premier League strikes during his final season in the West Midlands.
He would even be labelled as "world-class" during his celebrated stay with the Villans by teammate John McGinn, with Raphinha once also talked about in the same glowing manner in West Yorkshire when heralded as "special" by Marcelo Bielsa.
douglas-luiz-jhon-duran
Everything is pointing in the direction of this being a superb deal, with Luiz potentially going on to be their new Premier League saviour, just as Raphinha was once upon a time.
habib-diarra-leeds-transfer Related
[He's better than Diarra: Leeds now looking at deal to sign £26m "threat"](https://www.footballfancast.com/better-than-diarra-leeds-have-been-looking-at-deal-to-sign-onyedika/ "He's better than Diarra: Leeds now looking at deal to sign £26m "threat"")
Leeds United are eyeing up a midfield star who could be even better than Habib Diarra.