'Done deal' as Leeds United close in on £18m transfer with Daniel Farke message still fresh
Leeds United are close to welcoming their ninth new signing through the door.
Leeds United look to be closing in on a deal for Noah Okafor with reports from Italy suggesting a move is all but wrapped up.
Negotiations with AC Milan have been ongoing over the past week or so, with Leeds known to be in the market for wide reinforcements in the final fortnight of the window. Okafor naturally operates on the left wing but can be just as effective on the right or even through the middle as a dynamic No.9.
Okafor struggled for form and fitness last season, registering just one goal and two assists in 21 appearances for Milan and Napoli, the latter of whom he joined on loan in January. The 25-year-old has enjoyed an encouraging summer, however, scoring two goals against each of Perth Glory and Liverpool before an exciting performance against Leeds in Dublin earlier this month.
As of Monday evening, the YEP understood Leeds were moving forward in their pursuit of Okafor and journalist Gianluca Di Marzio provided an update from Italy on Tuesday morning. He reports a deal is done for the Swiss international to join Daniel Farke’s side, with an agreement worth around €21million (£18.15m) including bonuses reached.
Sky Sports report that a deal for Okafor will cost Leeds closer to £13m, albeit that could be detailing the initial payment. And extra amounts will likely be through performance-related add-ons.
Leeds will hope Okafor can continue his pre-season form to return to the level of promise he showed at RB Salzburg. In Austria, the winger registered 34 goals and 23 assists in 110 appearances across all competitions, roughly equivalent to a direct contribution every two games.
Daniel Farke transfer message amid Leeds United Noah Okafor pursuit
Reports of a deal for Okafor come less than 12 hours after Leeds kicked off their 2025/26 Premier League season with a 1-0 win at home to Everton. Farke’s side were dominant for large portions of the 90 minutes but lacked the necessary cutting edge in the final third, at least until James Tarkowski’s handball handed Lukas Nmecha a chance to win it from the penalty spot, which he took.
Nmecha was the only attacking player to make his debut against Everton, with fellow free agent arrival Dominic Calvert-Lewin not involved despite being registered in time. The 28-year-old had trained with his teammates over the weekend but having left Everton at the end of June, has not undergone a full pre-season.
“Once you play that dominant, you then also need the players who are there with end product, with golden assists, and this is why I insisted so much [that] to give ourselves the best possible chance to survive, we definitely need to add a bit more firepower up front,” Farke said following that win. “Thank God we got the signing of Dominic right now. I think he will be also a very important player for us, but that was just the first step.
“We are still more or less in the market in order to bring more offensive options. And as I mentioned, we are ready right now for one, two or three games, until the international break, to be competitive and to win points in these games, like we did today. But we are not prepared right now for a long season with injuries, with bookings, with suspensions on Premier League level over the course of 38 games, and for that, we definitely need a few more additions.”