Leeds United have suffered another devastating setback in their attempts to add another attacker this summer, with Chelsea hijacking a move for Facundo Buonanotte.
Daniel Farke’s August transfer activity has hardly been as ambitious or successful as the club would have hoped, even though they have two fresh faces added to the squad this month.
Alongside Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Noah Okafor, Leeds crave a further one or two additions but have been coming up short thus far.
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Leeds United suffer Facundo Buonanotte hijack courtesy of Chelsea
Leeds thought they had secured a deal to bring in Facundo Buonanotte from Brighton on loan, booking a medical and planning to fly the Argentine up to West Yorkshire on Friday.
However, the Whites have since been muscled out of the equation by Chelsea, who are now wrapping up a likewise loan deal for the 20-year-old.
🚨💣 EXCLUSIVE: Chelsea are working on deal to sign Facundo Buonanotte from Brighton.
Negotiations underway with Brighton for Argentine talent in the list of several clubs in UK, Borussia Dortmund and more.
Deal on. 🔵🇦🇷 pic.twitter.com/x4u7b4rX2h
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 29, 2025
It sees Leeds miss out on yet another target with Buonanotte now facing an almighty battle to work his way into Enzo Maresca’s plans, given he’ll be competing with Cole Palmer and wonderkid Estevao Willian.
(Action Images via Reuters/John Sibley)
Leeds United already on the hunt for Facundo Buonanotte alternatives – David Ornstein
Time is of the essence for Leeds now, though, who have only a matter of days to secure the signings that they need to be competitive in the fight for survival.
The Athletic’s David Ornstein has now shared that Leeds’ backup plan for missing out on Buonanotte sees them consider four new options, one of them a familiar face:
“The 11th-hour collapse of Leeds’ deal leaves them short of options as the transfer deadline approaches. Daniel Farke has made no secret of his desire to see attacking reinforcements before Monday at 7pm BST.
“Bilal El Khannouss, Dilane Bakwa, Eduard Spertsyan and Manor Solomon are all players Leeds are known to have an interest in.”
Leeds United have precious little time to secure Facundo Buonanotte alternative
Buonanotte would have been a superb signing for Leeds and the exact profile needed to address the current imbalance in Farke’s squad.
He’s not on the table anymore and the club needs a new player that can operate on the right wing, which three of them can do.
Manor Solomon, to me, is the odd one out here purely because he’s solely a left-winger that likes to cut inside on his right foot, which we’ve already forked out on for Noah Okafor – he’s not needed anymore.
Bilal El Khannouss or Dilane Bakwa would be superb statements for Leeds, albeit with incredibly steep valuations.
Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!