Leeds United fans must be sick of hearing about Sunderland this summer: the 2025/26 season hasn’t even started yet, but the Black Cats are proving to be a thorn in their side.
Leeds United won the Championship title last season, finishing a whole 24 points ahead of Sunderland who won the Championship play-off final in dramatic fashion, beating Sheffield United at Wembley.
Yet it’s the Black Cats who seem to be getting the better of Leeds in the transfer market so far this summer. Already, Sunderland have signed three Leeds United targets in Habib Diarra, Reinildo Mandava, and Noah Sadiki. There could yet be more with the two teams linked with a number of the same players.
Leeds United announced the signing of Gabriel Gudmundsson this week to take their summer signings tally up to four, with the others arriving at Elland Road being Lukas Nmecha, Jaka Bijol, and Sebastiaan Bornauw.
Jeremie Boga in action for the Ivory Coast.
Photo by Mark Blinch/Getty Images
Leeds United and Sunderland now in transfer race to sign Jeremie Boga
The latest name drawing attention from Leeds and Sunderland is Jeremie Boga; the 28-year-old Ivorian winger who plays for Nice. Reports this month revealed how Leeds United have submitted a £13million bid for Boga, as Farke searches for new wide players amid the uncertainty over a potential return deal for Manor Solomon.
Subsequent reports revealed how Sunderland and Trabzonspor are also interested in Boga this summer. It was even claimed that Turkish club Trabzonspor have made an offer for the former Chelsea youngster, but they now appear to have pulled out of the race entirely.
Turkiye Gazetesi report that Trabzonspor’s pursuit of Boga has been ‘sidelined’ because of the offer from Leeds United, with Boga ‘positive about returning to England’ this summer. That leaves Sunderland and Leeds in the clear to fight for the Boga signing.
Why Leeds United want to sign Jeremie Boga
Given the fact that there’s a bid on the table, it’s clear that Leeds are serious about Boga. But his stats certainly don’t paint a pretty picture: one goal and one assist in 21 Ligue 1 games last season.
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If he’s the man to replace Solomon on the right then Leeds United fans may not be all that impressed. The season before, though, Boga scored six and assisted six more in 28 Ligue 1 games.
Stat (league) Jeremie Boga in 24/25
Apps 21
Starts 12
Goals/Assists 1/1
Big chances missed 5
Goal conversion % 3
Big chances created 3
Key passes PG 1.1
Accurate passes PG 15.1
Pass % 85
He’s provided the goods in the past but it certainly seems to have been on an irregular basis. Though with Leeds having so many positions to bolster, and only a £150million summer transfer budget to do so (a lot of money of course, but not really in the Premier League these days), Farke seems limited to this calibre of signing.
Paying £15million for Bijol, £5million for Bornauw and £10million for Gudmundsson suggests that Farke won’t break the bank on any one player in any one position this summer. Instead he’ll spread the money out accordingly, meaning that £13million for Boga might be the best that fans can hope for in that right-wing position this summer.