Leeds United and Aston Villa are Premier League rivals for next season. The pair even look set to go head-to-head in the transfer market this summer too.
After Leeds United won the Championship title under Daniel Farke last season, the Whites booked their return to the top flight after two years out, and have set themselves up for some monumental games in the English top flight.
Leeds United play Everton on the opening day of the season. Their first away game is at Arsenal, though, highlighting a tough opening month which sees the Whites go up against all of Newcastle United, Fulham, Wolves, and Bournemouth.
They don’t play Aston Villa until November when they welcome Unai Emery’s side to Elland Road. And there’s one player that could yet feature in that game, but for which side remains a bit of a mystery. His name? Igor Paixao.
Feyenoord attacker Igor Paixao playing against PSV.
Photo by Marcel van Dorst / EYE4images/NurPhoto via Getty Images
The latest on Igor Paixao’s future amid links to Leeds United
Igor Paixao has become hot property after the Brazilian enjoyed a stellar season in the Eredivisie with Feyenoord, scoring 16 goals and assisting 10 more in 34 league games for Robin van Persie’s side, who are now entertaining growing interest in the 24-year-old attacker this summer.
It’s already been reported that Leeds United have opened talks to sign Paixao this summer. Feyenoord are holding out for a club record fee for the former Coritiba man, with several reports suggesting that a £34million fee is required to sign him. And it could well be Aston Villa who cough up that money this summer.
Dutch outlet AD report of ‘rumours’ that Aston Villa ‘seems willing’ to pay up for Paixao. Although the same report reiterates ‘a transfer is still a long way off at the moment’ and so there remains hope that Leeds get the deal done.
Leeds United manager Daniel Farke during a game against Bristol City.
Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images
Smoke and mirrors as Leeds United and more try to sign Igor Paixao
It’s not only Villa that Farke is rivalling for new signings, but Feyenoord too. There are ongoing rumours that Leeds United and Feyenoord want to sign Hugo Bueno this summer, and if Feyenoord sell Paixao quickly then it could give them the ammunition to sign Bueno. But that’s a different story.
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Van Persie’s side seem to have built up a lot of interest in Paixao now and that might have been their plan all along. But it’s hard to tell what’s really going on amid contrasting reports on the matter.
Earlier in the month it was claimed that there’s no transfer interest in Paixao at Feyenoord, but now this rumoured Villa interest emerges. Albeit, Villa’s interest only seems to be rumoured at this moment in time, whilst Leeds United are thought to have held talks already.
It may be that Farke still has the upper hand here. But after Leeds United completed the signing of Jaka Bijol for a rumoured fee of £15million, whether or not Farke would be willing to spend nearly £40million on Paixao remains to be seen.