Leeds United complete £17.3m transfer as Paixao alternative could sting Sunderland
Leeds United’s hunt for a winger could be about to take an unexpected turn as the club prepares to announce the signing of Anton Stach from Hoffenheim for £17.3m plus add-ons.
The 6ft 4in Germany international will join a department already featuring Ethan Ampadu, Ao Tanaka, Sean Longstaff and Ilia Gruev, giving Daniel Farke a mix of height, control and work rate in central areas.
With midfield business now considered largely complete, and defensive reinforcements already in place, attention has once again turned to the attacking areas.
Leeds remain in the race for Feyenoord’s Igor Paixao, but hopes of landing the Brazilian have dimmed slightly in recent days. Marseille always appeared to be ahead in the chase, and although the Whites haven’t given up, they have begun weighing up alternatives.
Feyenoord are holding crunch talks with Marseille today after the Ligue 1 club finally reached an agreement over a €30 million deal, with a further €5 million in potential add-ons. However, the structure of that deal is far from finalised.
Marseille still need to prove they can finance the move and present a payment plan that satisfies the Dutch club. If that doesn’t happen quickly, Leeds believe there may still be a window to act, though time is running out.
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One name that may come back into focus is Armand Lauriente, according to a handful of reports in Italy. The Sassuolo winger came close to joining Sunderland in a deal worth £17.5 million, only for the transfer to collapse at the final stage.
Lauriente worked under Regis Le Bris at Lorient and has been capped at France U21 level. He had flown to Portugal to undergo a medical and link up with Sunderland’s squad, but the agreement fell apart before terms could be finalised.
That development could open a door for Leeds, who have previously been credited with interest in the 26-year-old. With Paixao far from secured and no clear breakthrough in sight, Leeds could now act on that interest.
The symmetry and irony of such a move would not be lost on supporters as Leeds and Sunderland have followed similar paths throughout the summer, often shortlisting the same targets.
The supporters have enjoyed plenty of back and forth on social media with the Black Cats largely coming out on top as their early window spend was cause for excitement.
Sunderland signed Noah Sadiki and Habib Diarra, both of whom had been linked to Elland Road, and came close to signing an alleged Leeds target in Djordje Petrovic.
With Sunderland’s Lauriente deal now off and Leeds still in need of a winger, the idea of him landing at Elland Road instead feels like a natural twist in a window that’s seen both clubs collide repeatedly.
