Leeds United have reportedly made enquiries about Rodrigo Muniz.placeholder image
Leeds United have reportedly made enquiries about Rodrigo Muniz. | Getty Images
Leeds United’s interest in Fulham striker Rodrigo Muniz could hinge on the Cottagers stalled pursuit of their own Brazilian striker target.
Fulham have failed with a bid for a new striker, which could bring Leeds back to the table for their desired striker, Muniz, if Marco Silva’s side need to raise funds for their target.
Turkish side Goztepe have rejected a bid of around £13m from Fulham for Romulo and are holding out for a fee higher than £17m, according to The Athletic’s David Ornstein.
He also reports that other Premier League and European clubs are circling for the 23-year-old striker.
As Fulham pursue this deal, they could be persuaded to listen to offers for their striker, with reports that they recently rejected an offer of over £30m.
Muniz has a year left on his contract, but the West London club crucially have the option for an additional year. Their stance has previously been that the Brazilian is not for sale, but failure to advance in their public pursuit of Romulo could see Leeds take advantage.
Why Leeds want Muniz
The Yorkshire club are trying to add reinforcements to give themselves the best chance of survival next year to buck the trend of Championship clubs gaining promotion to the Premier League and immediately bouncing back down.
Muniz would be a massive coup for the club and with Fulham’s first-choice striker, Raul Jimenez, starting 30 out of 38 league games, there is the chance for the former Flamengo player to move on and be the first-choice striker at Elland Road.
The 24-year-old scored eight goals and provided one assist while only starting eight Premier League games at Craven Cottage last term.
With another striker signing on the horizon, Muniz might see his minutes dwindle further, and Fulham could cash in before his position becomes even less tenable next January or even next summer, when the Brazilian would either be out of contract or have the club use their option to extend for another season.
Muniz has demonstrated he is able to lead the line in the Premier League with 10 goals and assists in 26 games in the 2023/24 season.
At 24, he may be thinking about pastures new with his minutes limited behind Jimenez in the pecking order already, the signing of Romulo would diminish his chances further, especially as Silva usually utilises one up front.
Fulham’s pursuit of a new striker can only benefit Leeds, whether that’s because The Cottagers are going to be too heavily stocked in their forward positions, or if they need the funding to secure their target, Daniel Farke and the club will be watching this situation closely.
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