Leeds United transfer target signs 5-year contract with Premier League rivals - statement released
Leeds United aren’t expected to reignite transfer interest any time soon following the news.
Leeds United summer transfer target Rodrigo Muniz has signed a new five-year contract with Fulham.
Muniz was viewed as Leeds’ top target at No.9 for much of the summer, with a £32million bid rejected by Fulham who insisted their striker was not for sale. Elland Road chiefs appeared to wait on the Brazilian’s future availability but it never materialised, with Serie A side Atalanta also seeing offers knocked back.
In what Leeds’ managing director Robbie Evans labelled a ‘really exciting’ evolution of their striker pursuit, a move was eventually made for free agent striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin who signed a three-year contract. Muniz remained at Craven Cottage and has pre-emptively quashed future speculation by committing his long-term future to Fulham.
Fabrizio Romano was among several journalists to initially report on a new long-term contract for Muniz, with the 24-year-old putting pen to paper on a five-year deal in West London. A brief statement from Fulham confirmed the news.
It said: “We are delighted to announce that Rodrigo Muniz has committed his long-term future to the Club. The striker has today signed a five-year contract, tying him to Fulham until June 2030, with a Club option to extend by a further year.”
Muniz’s previous contract was due to expire in the summer of 2026, although Fulham had the option to extend it by a further 12 months if they wanted. Craven Cottage chiefs have gone one step further, however, and the striker’s new five-year deal also has a 12-month extension option.
Leeds United-linked Muniz signs Fulham contract
“I really want to thank God,” Muniz told FFCtv. “I’m very grateful, and I would like to thank the Club for having trust in me. I would also like to thank my family, my friends in Brazil, and all the fans. I would like to thank everyone. It’s an amazing feeling to stay here and to have this contract and to safeguard my future.”
Muniz started the 2025/26 campaign as Fulham’s first-choice striker but is currently out with a muscle injury, which is expected to keep him sidelined until after the October international break. The long-term Leeds summer target has one goal to his name so far.
Leeds and Fulham were in talks right up until the transfer deadline on September 1, with Elland Road chiefs making a late push for Muniz’s teammate Harry Wilson. That eventually fell through due to what the Whites believe was a late change of heart in London, and like his No.9 teammate, the Welsh international could soon sign a new deal.
“Of course, conversations between us and his representatives as well, and let's see what is going to happen, but I know really the aim of him is to stay in the football club, and if we can get an agreement, his future is going to be with us,” Fulham boss Marco Silva said of Wilson last month. “He's 100 per cent sure, he's part of the business, of course he's looking for what is best for him like the club is trying to get the best for the football club, but I know what his aim is.”