How Leeds United fought off 'enormous pressure' to land impressive summer transfer
The Leeds United summer signing has impressed so far in pre-season.
Leeds United won the race for Tarik Muharemovic after several teams applied ‘enormous pressure’ for the Bosnian, admits Sassuolo’s sporting director.
Muharemovic’s £34.1million move from Sassuolo to Leeds was confirmed last month with the defender signing a five-year contract at Elland Road. The 23-year-old was brought in to replace Pascal Struijk at left centre-back and has impressed in three pre-season appearances so far.
Leeds expected to face competition for Muharemovic, particularly after an impressive World Cup campaign with Bosnia, with reports of interest from Premier League rivals Bournemouth and Sunderland. Sassuolo’s Serie A rivals Inter Milan and Juventus were also heavily interested.
According to Sassuolo sporting director Francesco Palmieri, competition for Muharemovic was fierce but it soon became clear which team was in pole position. And the transfer chief has also spoken of his pride in securing a significant fee and allowing the centre-back to achieve a dream of Premier League football.
“There was enormous pressure from several teams,” Palmieri told Corriere dello Sport’s YouTube channel, as quoted by FCInterNews. “And then the one that actually wanted the player became clear, and this great deal came to fruition, making the boy happy and everyone happy.
“For us too, it's a source of immense pride and satisfaction to sell one of our players for a significant fee while giving him the chance to play in the Premier League, which is the dream of many footballers.”
Elland Road got its first proper look at Muharemovic during Saturday’s 2-0 pre-season win over RB Leipzig. The summer arrival started in an impressive back three alongside Joe Rodon and Sebastiaan Bornauw.
Muharemovic impressed again, snuffing out Leipzig attacks and showing a great range of passing. The Bosnian got close to 90 minutes under his belt before being replaced by Alfie Cresswell midway through the second 60-minute period.
Another opportunity for minutes will come on Wednesday when Leeds face Manchester United at Croke Park in Dublin. That game could provide Farke an opportunity to play his strongest back three for the first time this summer, with Jaka Bijol returning from injury off the bench against Leipzig.