A new name is on Leeds United’s radar in Bournemouth centre-back James Hill, even though Leeds United have just signed a new player in Noah Okafor.
Leeds United look set to finish strongly in the summer transfer window. On Thursday, the Whites announced the signing of Noah Okafor from AC Milan, who joins for around £18m.
He becomes Daniel Farke’s 9th summer signing and he may well be the most exciting one yet. The Swiss international will bring goals and quality to the side, but it doesn’t look as though the 49ers want to stop just there, despite having nearly spent £100m on new players at Leeds United.
The club are now being linked with James Hill. On Thursday, soon after Okafor was announced, Leeds United were linked with Hill, who is in the final year of his Bournemouth contract.
Head Coach Andoni Iraola of Bournemouth.
Photo by Robin Jones – AFC Bournemouth/AFC Bournemouth via Getty Images
Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola discusses Leeds United’s links to James Hill
Back in 2021, Leeds United were linked with Hill when managed by Marcelo Bielsa. At the time, Hill was one of the hottest prospects in Europe, with reports that even Barcelona had scouted him during his time at Fleetwood Town.
Now though, Hill is a bit part player at Bournemouth and in the final year of his contract, it looks as though he’ll be allowed to leave the Cherries should a suitable offer come along.
Speaking to the press on Friday, Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola gave his verdict on the Hill rumours. He said that the rumours are news to him and that he wants to keep Hill, though he failed to rule out the possibility of him moving to Elland Road.
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How much Leeds United have left to spend after signing Noah Okafor
Leeds United’s summer signings have certainly impressed, and Farke has certainly splashed the cash. Going into the summer transfer window it was reported that Leeds United have a £150 million transfer budget for this summer, and a lot of that has already been chipped away.
Okafor’s £18 million move to Elland Road takes the summer spending total to just under £100 million. Leeds United have plenty of cash left to spare should they want to sign another marquee signing or two.
Name Age From Price
Lukas Nmecha 26 Wolfsburg Free
Dominic Calvert-Lewin 28 Everton Free
Sebastiaan Bornauw 26 Wolfsburg £5m
Gabriel Gudmundsson 26 Lille £10m
Jaka Bijol 26 Udinese £15m
Sean Longstaff 27 Newcastle £15m
Lucas Perri 27 Lyon £15.6m
Noah Okafor 25 Milan £18m
Anton Stach 26 Hoffenheim £19.9m
Total £98.5m
Hill, though, may come very cheaply. Bournemouth paid just £1 million to sign Hill back in 2022, and given the fact that he’s done little to impress and that he’s in the final year of his contract, Leeds United could well sign him for another cut-price fee.
That said, Farke will still want to leave some cash left over for January in case Leeds United are in trouble and in need of new signings.