Leeds United Igor Paixão transfer blow as Marseille close in on £30m deal
Leeds United look set to miss out on the winger as things stand.
Leeds United have been dealt a blow in their pursuit of Igor Paixão with reports suggesting the Feyenoord star is closing in on a move to Marseille.
Paixão emerged as an exciting summer target for Leeds earlier this week with the YEP reporting meetings had taken place with the Brazilian winger’s representatives. Elland Road chiefs are believed to have presented their project and plans for the Premier League under Daniel Farke.
Marseille have already seen a bid rejected for Paixão and are known to retain serious interest in the 25-year-old, who registered an impressive 18 goals and 14 assists across all competitions last season. There were some initial concerns at Feyenoord as to whether the French side could meet their demands but they now look to have been answered.
Fabrizio Romano reported via X that a deal is close to being agreed with Marseille edging towards the fee Feyenoord demand, having improved their previous offer. French journalist Santi Aouna echoed those claims, revealing a €35million (£30m) agreement is ‘almost finalised’, with Paixão expected to sign a five-year contract at the Stade Velodrome.
The suggestion Marseille and Feyenoord are getting closer to an agreement means they are not there yet, of course, and a deal is by no means done. But news of the French side’s willingness to stump up the necessary cash is a blow for Leeds, who might have hoped to price out their Ligue 1 transfer rivals.
Have Leeds United bid for bid for Igor Paixão?
It remains to be seen how Leeds might react to news of an imminent club-to-club agreement, with no suggestion any bid has been submitted from West Yorkshire as of yet. Should the Whites decide to match or better Marseille’s offer, it would then likely be down to the player to decide on his next move.
Having finished second in Ligue 1 last season, Marseille qualified for the Champions League and can therefore offer top-level European football. Leeds can make no such promises and as a newly-promoted team, are among the early favourites for relegation, but might hope meetings earlier this week have shown their ambitious plans.
Prospective targets are known to have been shown videos and images from last season’s promotion celebrations as evidence of how good things can be at Elland Road when the going is good. Recruitment chiefs might also have been minded to present Paixão’s representatives with the example of Raphinha, who joined Leeds from Rennes before securing a £55m move to Barcelona two years later, where he is now a Ballon d’Or contender.
Leeds have so far been very busy in the transfer market and are expected to confirm their sixth summer arrival soon. Elland Road chiefs have agreed a €20m (£17.3m) deal in principle for Hoffenheim midfielder Anton Stach, widely regarded one of the Bundesliga’s best midfielders last season.
Stach looks set to join Newcastle United academy graduate Sean Longstaff in Farke’s new-look midfield unit, while Slovenian centre-back Jaka Bijol and Swedish left-back Gabriel Gudmundsson make up the list of £10m-plus players. Sebastiaan Bornauw arrived from VfL Wolfsburg for around £5m, following free agent Lukas Nmecha.