After agreeing a deal to sign central defender Tarik Muharemovic, Leeds United may turn their attentions to additions to their midfield ranks this summer.
The Whites have agreed a £34m fee with Sassuolo for the Bosnia international, potentially making him their marquee signing of the window.
tarik-muharemovic-bosnia
Daniel Farke wants to add even more quality to his squad after landing Harry Wilson and Muharemovic, though, as the club are also in talks with Southampton over a deal to sign Shea Charles.
The Northern Ireland international is valued at £25m by the Championship team, which means that he could be another expensive addition for the West Yorkshire outfit.
Why Leeds need to sign more than one central midfielder
Charles may not be the only central midfield signing made by Leeds in the summer transfer window, as there are question marks over several of Farke's current options in those positions.
Northern Ireland's Shea Charles reacts
For example, Ilia Gruev and Sean Longstaff started 25 matches combined in the Premier League last term, with the former Newcastle United star starting just ten league games.
Ao Tanaka has also been linked with an exit from Elland Road. TEAMtalk reported earlier this summer that Hertha Berlin, Hannover, and Schalke have all shown an interest in the Japan international.
Losing the Japanese midfielder would leave the Whites with four players for potentially three positions, depending on the formation Farke settles for, and five if Charles joins.
|Most CM minutes for Leeds in 25/26 Premier League|
|Player|Minutes|
|---|
|Ethan Ampadu|3,123|
|Anton Stach|2,379|
|Ilia Gruev|1,325|
|Ao Tanaka|1,318|
|Sean Longstaff|1,007|
Leeds could, therefore, need another central midfielder to come in and ease the load on the other players in that position, whilst the club may also simply want to add more quality after Longstaff and Gruev struggled for starts last season.
How Leeds can strengthen their midfield
That may be why the Whites are pursuing another player in that position alongside their talks to bring in Charles from Southampton ahead of next season.
Milan News reports that 49ers are interested in a Leeds United deal to sign AC MIlan central midfielder Yunus Musah in the summer transfer window.
The outlet claims that the Premier League side have already made contact to hold talks with the Italian giants about what a move for the USA international could look like.
It adds, though, that new Milan boss Ruben Amorim is yet to make a decision on his future and may take time to assess him in pre-season, which means that this pursuit could be a slow burner for Leeds.
|Leeds transfer target factfile|
|Stat|Yunus Musah|
|---|
|Age|23|
|Current club|AC Milan|
|Preferred foot|Right|
|Preferred position|Central midfield|
|National team|USA|
|International caps|47|
|Serie A appearances|79|
|LaLiga appearances|94|
Farke could unearth his own version of former Leeds star Kalvin Phillips if the club are able to reach an agreement with Milan for the 23-year-old, who has experience in both the Serie A and LaLiga.
Phillips was, of course, a terrific player for the Whites in the Premier League before his £45m move to Manchester City in 2022, shining as a defensive midfielder.
In his best season, the 2020/21 campaign, the England international ranked within the top 10% of midfielders in the league for ball recoveries (214) and the top 36% for possessions won in the final third (11), which highlights how effective he was at winning the ball back.
Musah could offer similar qualities in the middle of the park for Leeds, despite only starting five of his 20 appearances in the Serie A on loan at Atalanta last term.
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In his limited game time, the American midfielder ranked in the top 12% of midfielders in the Serie A for ball recoveries per 90 (5.25) and the top 1% for possessions won in the final third per 90 (0.55), which shows that he can be effective out of possession in midfield.
Musah also showed quality on the ball, though, with 1.94 successful dribbles per 90 and a dribble success rate of 66.7%, ranking in the top 14% of midfielders in the division in both statistics.
Leeds United manager Daniel Farke gestures to the fans at the end of the match
If given the chance to play more regular football under Farke, the 23-year-old star could emerge as the new Phillips at Leeds by providing elite pressing and ball-winning qualities to the midfield, using his mobility and physicality to constantly disrupt opposition attacks.
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