Leeds sign off THREE more deals as signing of ‘The Tractor’ and two expected exits thunder into view

Leeds United are moving quickly to ease Daniel Farke’s full-back concerns after seemingly advancing in efforts to make Mattia Zanotti summer signing number eight of the summer at Elland Road, while Igor Paixao has finally broken his silence on why he chose Marseille over the Whites.

The Premier League new-boys have been feverishly adding to their squad ever since securing their return to the top flight as they look to build a squad competitive enough to compete with the country’s best sides. Though having seen the last six sides all promoted suffer instant demotion, Leeds United know they will have their work cut out to buck the trend.

While close to £70m has been spent so far, Farke has admitted that his squad still remains light, particularly in the attacking third. To that end, the Leeds manager has challenged owners, 49ers Enterprises, to make sure they can bring in the necessary quality up front.

Farke, though, also has issues at the other end of the pitch, in the full-back positions. Isaac Schmidt has lined up a move to Werder Bremen, joining former Whites teammate Max Wober, and the Swiss’ performance in covering for Jayden Bogle at the weekend in the draw with Villarreal suggests he won’t be much missed.

Indeed, it is Bogle’s injury that is causing Farke concern, and while his adductor injury is understood to be not thought serious, a lack of quality cover at right-back is likely to force Leeds to quickly dip their toes back into the market.

Now the Whites are understood to be edging closer towards a deal for Zanotti – nicknamed ‘The Tractor’ owing to his physicality – with the Italy Under-21 international cleared to leave his side, Lugano, for a fee of around €10m (£8.7m, $11.6m) this summer.

Per journalist Lorenzo Lepore via X (1 August), Leeds are now the favourites for his signing, beating off the challenge from Fulham and Monaco for his signing and with negotiations described as ‘advanced’.

That verdict is also shared by German publication Deich Stube, who have revealed Bremen’s confidence that a deal for Schmidt will be signed off soon and thus allowing the Whites to press forward with a deal for Zanotti.

With those two deals now thundering closer, Leeds are also on the cusp of another departure, this time for attacker, Joe Gelhardt….

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

Gelhardt closing on move; Paixao explains Leeds rejection

Indeed, the 23-year-old Scouser has been frozen out of Farke’s plans this summer, failing to travel with the first-team squad to either Sweden or Germany.

And with Leeds clearing the way for Gelhardt to leave this summer if someone matches their £3m to £4m valuation, strong reports on the Humber on Tuesday morning claim the forward is on the cusp of agreeing a second stint with Hull City, where he starred on loan last season.

Per journalist Baz Cooper of the Hull Daily Mail, Gelhardt is in advanced talks to rejoin the Tigers, likely on a season’s loan with the option for a permanent deal. The move back to Humberside has also been given the green light from the former Wigan man, who we understand has made it clear a return to the Tigers is his preference.

Incidentally, he will likely be joined at the MKM Stadium by Leeds supporting former Sheffield United striker Oli McBurnie, who is due to undergo a medical in London on Tuesday ahead of a move back to Yorkshire after a spell with Las Palmas.

Meanwhile, with Farke crying out for new attacking additions, Leeds chiefs will still be feeling frustrated at having seen their top winger target Igor Paixao slip from their grasp, with the player ultimately getting his wish to join the Ligue 1 giants.

Asked what “motivated” him to join Marseille, he told a media conference to present him to the fans: “That’s an easy question. OM is a club with values. It’s very special for me. I want to give my all. It’s a big responsibility, we’re going to do something great.”

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Leeds transfer latest: Lecce striker free to move; Solomon talk ramped up

Meanwhile, Leeds United look poised to ramp up their pursuit of Lecce striker Nikola Krstovic, amid claims he has been given the green light to leave the Serie A side, while reports also claim a hefty offer has been tabled for Leicester winger Bilal El Khannous.

El Khannous is not the only Leicester star that Leeds are chasing either, with efforts to land a quality full-back also coming to light.

Another player of interest is Ainsley Maitland-Niles, after it emerged that the Whites have been offered a chance to sign the Lyon star during talks over a deal for Lucas Perri.

Meanwhile, Leeds United have been given fresh hope of signing Manor Solomon on a permanent basis amid claims Tottenham are ready to drop his asking price – while an in-the-know journalist has revealed the four players  Farke hopes to sign before the window slams shut.

Who is Mattia Zanotti?

By Samuel Bannister

A product of the Inter Milan academy, Zanotti was born in Brescia. He began with his hometown team before signing for Inter in 2017 as a 14-year-old.

He made his first of three senior appearances for Inter in December 2021, sent on by Simone Inzaghi as a substitute for Ivan Perisic in a Serie A win over Cagliari.

In the spring of 2023, Zanotti added another couple of first-team appearances, against Lecce and Hellas Verona, with Robin Gosens and Denzel Dumfries the respective players making way for him.

After that, the right-back moved to Switzerland for a loan spell with St. Gallen, and after playing 35 times for them, he stayed in the same country to pen a permanent deal with Lugano, helpfully based in the Italian-speaking region of Switzerland, last summer.

His debut season with Lugano was impressive. He played 41 times in all competitions, scored twice and provided 11 assists. Only two defenders made more assists than him in the Swiss Super League, as Lugano finished fourth in the table and reached the round of 16 in the Europa Conference League.

At international level, Zanotti has played for Italy up to the under-21 ranks. He also came on as a sub in the final of the U20 World Cup in 2023, which Italy lost to Uruguay.

When he was emerging at Inter, Zanotti acquired the nickname of ‘The Tractor’, in reference to his physicality.

But his versatility is another major asset, with Zanotti not just playing at right-back last season, but also sometimes as a wing-back or even a centre-back on a couple of occasions.