Leeds ‘believe’ club record £40m striker deal ‘will be done’ as journalist drops tantalising update

Leeds United still have a strong ‘belief’ that a deal is there to be done for Fulham’s Rodrigo Muniz, with a trusted source explaining why there is no panic at Elland Road and amid fresh claims that Manor Solomon could also be returning to Elland Road on a permanent deal.

The Whites have spent around £65m (€75m, $87m) on seven new signings so far, with everyone from Lukas Nmecha and Lucas Perri all arriving in a whirlwind 41-day period at Elland Road. However, Leeds United are not yet done on the recruitment front, and manager Daniel Farke has admitted his side desperately need strong additions in the attacking third to be able to compete back among the Premier League.

So far on that front, though, it’s been a tale of woe for the Whites. And while a strong move for winger Igor Paixao ultimately came to nothing, Leeds have also seen a strong push for Fulham striker Rodrigo Muniz so far failing to bear fruit.

Leeds have already had an offer, believed to be worth £32m, rejected by the Cottagers, who are understood to rate the 24-year-old in the £40m bracket.

However, the Yorkshire Evening Post’s Graham Smyth is adamant Leeds are not panicking and he believes there is optimism at Elland Road that a deal for the Brazilian is still there to be done, while also moving to explain the current wall of silence around incoming deals at the club.

Speaking on the Inside Elland Road podcast, he stated: “I just think they need quality in the final third. And, it’s not a case of just go and get quality and we’ll try and shoehorn it in; it has to make sense.

“It has to fit the plan, has to fit the profile, but there’s a reason why people are starting to get angsty. I think the head loss is a bit much because they did seven deals in 41 days from Lucas Nmecha to Lucas Perri.

“Yes, it’s gone very quiet since [Igor] Paixao and it’s gone deathly quiet in fact. I think that’s for two reasons. One, they’re exercising patience. I still think they believe there will be a deal to be done for Rodrigo Muniz at Fulham.

“But the window is obviously closing on that and you can’t wait forever. The other thing I think is that I think they’ve possibly plugged their leak and thrown a veil of secrecy over everything again.

“I think they’re being a lot tighter with information. That makes sense to me because these deals, I think, are going to be the hardest ones to do because there is going to be the most competition. Everyone wants a striker.

“I mean, look at what’s happened this summer. You know, Liverpool wanted [Alexander] Isak. They decided to go and get Newcastle’s backup signing, and they still probably want to go and get Isak.

“Then Newcastle want a striker, but Manchester United want a striker. So, it looks like they’re going to get the one that Newcastle wanted. Everyone’s after difference makers in the final third.

“So, any player I think that Leeds go for — that’s a player of any quality — is going to have options and the pond that they seem to be fishing in? A lot of these players have Champions League options.”

IN-DEPTH ⚪🔵🟡 Every completed Leeds United transfer in summer 2025: Signings, exits, loans

Leeds given new hope of Manor Solomon signing

Leeds’ need for new strikers is exacerbated by Farke’s decision to tell Patrick Bamford he is not part of his Premier League plans, while Joe Gelhardt is also on the verge of leaving the club to rejoin Hull City.

The Whites on Saturday morning have also confirmed the departure of Spain Under-21 striker Mateo Joseph, who has joined Mallorca on a season-long loan deal, having expressed his desire to move on owing to a frustration at a lack of first-team chances.

And as well as at least one new centre forward, the Whites also need to replace last season’s loan star Manor Solomon, who is back at parent club Tottenham.

Obviously, a deal to bring Paixao would have spectacularly ended that quest to sign a left winger.

In light of that, speculation of a move to re-sign Solomon refuses to go away and reports last week suggested a late window raid on Tottenham for the Israeli remains possible.

Now, former Leeds and Spurs goalkeeper Paul Robinson has also talked up the chances of that happening.

Asked if he can see the 26-year-old back at Leeds, Robinson told the Inside Track podcast: “I’d really like to think so, because he was an integral part of everything [Leeds] did last year”, Robinson told Football Insider.

“The problem is, he’s contracted to Tottenham until 2028 so they’re going to have to pay a decent fee to get him, and I don’t suspect they’ll be the only ones looking at him.

“That’s an area of the squad that Tottenham are so heavily oversubscribed in anyway – you look at the players that they’ve got, I think there’ll be some movement from Tottenham going out anyway.

“Johnson, Kudus, Odobert, Richarlison, Tel – they can all play in these wide attacking areas. Maddison’s out for a long time, but I don’t think that affects the future of Manor Solomon.

“If Leeds can get that deal done, that will be a really big, important player for them joining into next year.”

Leeds transfer latest: UCL finalist linked; Liverpool winger tipped for move

Meanwhile, a trusted source on all things Liverpool has confirmed Leeds are exploring a move for a £20m-rated Reds star, and he’s not the only Premier League attacker Farke aims to sign.

Elsewhere, United look to be racing towards a significant double signing after it emerged they are ‘close to agreeing a deal’ for a sparingly-used Inter Milan striker, while a Championship star has also given his blessing to a move to Elland Road, per a trusted source.

And finally, speculation in the North-East of England claims Leeds are on red alert to sign Aleksandar Mitrovic amid reports he has been put up for sale by Al-Hilal in the wake of their imminent signing of Darwin Nunez.

TEAMtalk already revealed, though, why the Whites face a tall order agreeing a deal, and amid fresh links to a former Liverpool star.

A look at Rodrigo Muniz’s 2024/25 Premier League stats