Leeds United are expected to push through their seventh signing of the summer later on Thursday after Ao Tanaka jetted in for a medical and with the Whites still hopeful of adding one more name to their squad before the summer transfer window slams shut.
It had been proving something of a chastening summer so far for the Whites after their narrow promotion failure last season. And the cost of failing to get their golden ticket back to the Premier League rubberstamped means there have been £140m worth of departures from the club this summer, with Archie Gray, Crysencio Summerville and Georginio Rutter the headline names to have moved on and secured Premier League moves.
And with incomings at Leeds in short supply at the time of Rutter’s departure (just four had been brought in at the time, with one a third-string goalkeeper and another a loanee), the mood among the fanbase had slipped to a somewhat unfamilar low.
However, fast forward a week and Leeds have boosted their squad with two more quality arrivals which sandwiched a must-needed first win of the season at Sheffield Wednesday on Friday night.
And in both Largie Ramazani – an €11m signing from Almeria and Manor Solomon, who has arrived in a season-long loan from Tottenham – boss Daniel Farke will feel he has at least managed to replace two of his star names in Summerville and Rutter.
However, in his press conference prior to the match at Hillsborough and before news of Ramazani’s signing had come to light, the embattled Leeds boss had made clear his wish to sign “four more players” before the close of the summer window.
Leeds close on signing of Japan midfielder Tanaka
With Israel winger Solomon ticking off the second of those on Tuesday, taking Leeds’ list of new recruits to six, Farke still hopes to add two more with a new midfielder and a full-back still very much on his wanted list.
Now signing number seven is inching closer with Leeds understood to have struck a fee with Fortuna Dusseldorf for Japan midfielder Tanaka.
The midfielder has drawn comparisons with Jude Bellingham owing to his eye for goal and his impressive record of eight goals in 27 international caps for his country.
And with the player now in the final year of his contract and having made clear he is not prepared to sign an extension, Dusseldorf have been left with little option to sell and with the player seen as a more progressive midfielder than Glen Kamara, the man he is likely to replace, and following the Finland international’s €10m departure to Rennes.
And while there is some confusion over the fee Leeds will likely need to pay for the Japan star amid claims of a clause in his contract, it’s understood an offer in the region of €4m (£3.4m) has triggered his imminent move.
We understand Leeds are optimistic of finalising the player’s signing today, with the player arriving in West Yorkshire for his medical.
That belief has now been given a further lift after German newspaper Rheinsche Post wrote that ‘many indications’ now suggest that Tanaka will complete a move to Leeds in the ‘next few hours’.
Leeds also want a new full-back
The capture of Tanaka, though, is unlikely to signal the end of Farke’s business, with the Leeds boss still hopeful of adding another full-back to his mix as cover and competition for Junior Firpo and Jayden Bogle.
To that end, Leeds have been linked with Bournemouth’s Max Aarons after narrowly missing out on him last summer, with the full-back instead opting to move to the south coast.
With the Cherries now willing to discuss his exit, Leeds had expored the possibility of a loan swoop for the former Norwich man, though those hopes have seemingly been extinguished by Bournemouth’s preference to secure a £15m sale.
That is a fee Leeds would not willing pay, though talks will likely resume over a possible loan if the Cherries are no successful in finding a buyer for a player, who has slipped down the pecking order under Andoni Iraola.
Leeds have also been linked with Ajax left-back Owen Wijndal, though that move would appear a non-starter for now with the Whites prioritising other targets ahead of him.
Elsewhere, Leeds are also being strongly linked with Freiburg attacking midfielder Roland Sallai, with the 52-times capped Hungary international in the final year of his contract and up for sale at the Bundesliga side.
A deal for Sheffield United’s Gustavo Hamer, meanwhile, also looks prohibitive with the Blades demanding £18m for the 27-year-old attacking midfielder.
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