Leeds United and Igor Paixão — inside the €35m pursuit, new signing's midnight call and what next — YEP 30/7/25

By Graham Smyth

The YEP has been given the inside story of Leeds United’s pursuit of Feyenoord winger Igor Paixão and the lengths they went to for a deal that was scuppered by Marseille.

Leeds United's chairman, managing director, sporting director, manager and a brand new signing all spent time on the phone to Igor Paixão to try and get a €35m deal done before the player opted for Marseille.

Club sources have revealed that although the Whites received email confirmation that Feyenoord had agreed to the terms and their salary offer was agreeable to Paixão's camp, sporting director Adam Underwood never felt like a deal was done and rated their chances at 50 to 60 per cent. But the situation was a far cry from the landscape that greeted Leeds two months ago.

The YEP understands that at the outset of the transfer window Paixão was not available to Leeds because of his wage demands and price tag a reluctant Feyenoord would attach to their star winger. But having watched and waited as the demands came down to an achievable level, Leeds were suddenly presented with what they felt was an opportunity to get one of their 'stretch' targets. Leeds' involvement played out over the course of around nine days. Underwood and head of recruitment Alex Davies presented to the player's camp and then the club surpassed Marseille with their first offer, before upping it to a deal that would have been worth a total of €35m with what they felt were achievable add-ons included. Feyenoord confirmed in an email on Saturday, just prior to half-time in the game against Paderborn, that they would accept Leeds' improved offer.

The sticking point at that stage was their knowledge that Paixão was still sold on the idea of playing Champions League football in the south of France. And both clubs went to the phone lines to try and sway him towards a final decision. For Leeds, Adam Underwood, managing director Evans and chairman Paraag Marathe went on a call with the Brazilian. Underwood, Evans and Davies talked to the agents. Daniel Farke also spoke to the target. And close to midnight, Paixão's compatriot Lucas Perri, whose own move to Leeds was only announced on Saturday evening, spent an hour chatting to him on the phone to try and help sell the move. For Marseille, Roberto De Zerbi took the opportunity to speak with Paixão and reiterate the benefits of a project that had already impressed the player and his father.

On Sunday it felt like Leeds had done all they could and it was down to Paixão to make up his mind once and for all. Sources in Holland continued to be sceptical that Marseille could match Leeds. But by Monday things had gone quiet and their confidence of getting a yes diminished entirely. By the early evening reports in France emerged saying Marseille had got their man. Leeds believe the Ligue 1 side finally upped their offer from an initial bid of €23m plus €7m in add-ons to something closer to what the Premier League side were offering. Earlier this week the player's camp told the YEP that it had been a 'very difficult' personal and family decision, but Champions League football played a big part in his thinking. Leeds also believe that their newly-promoted status and the fortunes of recent Premier League new boys entered the minds of the Paixão camp.

What’s next for Leeds?

Paixão has been described by club sources as a 'unique opportunity' and a 'perfect fit' because of his age, relative experience and ability to create and take his own goalscoring opportunities. This was a player Leeds felt was worth waiting two months for a chance to get to the table and negotiate but with a little over a month left in the window their efforts have come to nought and the question being asked of them is simply 'what's next?'

On that front Leeds insist they will not be reactive or let emotions lead them to jump straight on the next available winger. They have gone back to their process of discussing profiles, checking the availability of targets on whom they have done their homework and putting names to Farke.

There will be an inevitable challenge when it comes to deals because they have shown their hand to the market in terms of what they would be willing to spend for a difference-making winger. But as they showed with Habib Diarra they are determined to stick to their valuations of players. They're willing to wait for other high priority options to become available and have refuted suggestions that they have been unable to get stretch targets over the line, citing Anton Stach as a player who eventually turned down a Champions League opportunity to come to Leeds after a long period of deliberations. Similarly, Gabriel Gudmundsson and Jaka Bijol could have signed for clubs looking forward to elite European competition this season.

It's an inherent risk when a club, in the words of an insider 'takes a swing' for an ambitious target but comes up short for reasons largely beyond their control. Time and effort has gone into a deal that did not happen. Leeds are still planning to take swings, however, and pre-window research that involved talking to the likes of Brighton and Red Bull identified one of the secrets to good recruitment as the ability to move quickly and seal deals. It did not pay off in this case, but perhaps it will with another target.

The rumour mill wasted no time in cranking back up to full speed in the wake of Paixão's decision. Names have been falling out of the sky like rain as agents spy an opportunity to drag their client into the noise around Elland Road and their pursuit of a winger. The YEP understands that reports suggesting they have gone straight after Fiorentina's Riccardo Sottil and Ajax attacker Mika Godts have been wide of the mark. At the time of writing there is not another winger primed to fly into Leeds Bradford Airport and sign a deal.

Leeds say their thinking all along has been to give the entire spine of the side a stronger look and believe they have done that with the additions at goalkeeper, centre-back and central midfield. They still want a number 9. At left wing they say it only makes sense to sign a player who could keep the likes of Willy Gnonto, Largie Ramazani and Dan James on the bench. And whether or not it meets with the approval of the fanbase Jack Harrison, at present, is still a Leeds player. The difficulty in selling the current quartet of wingers to supporters as the final options that Farke will take into the Premier League season is obvious, because the idea of this particular Brazilian has raised expectations. Harrison's numbers last season, Farke's reluctance to give Ramazani more minutes, James' previous struggles with end product at this level and the fact that Leeds' best left winger last season is no longer at the club point to an obvious vacancy that should be filled.

In the period when Leeds went too long without signing a central midfielder for Marcelo Bielsa, it never felt true that there was really no acceptable or available target who could come in and improve the squad. There will undoubtedly be other wingers Leeds could go and get, as long as everyone involved in the process agrees that they will make a difference and are therefore worth the expenditure. The wait for a winger has begun, again.

Popular posts from this blog

Huge Leeds United transfer boost as 'personal terms agreed' with £17m midfielder after Sean Longstaff — YEP 16/7/25

Leeds United board break silence after transfer window with statement on upcoming Elland Road development — YEP 2/9/24

Patrick Bamford on the scoresheet as Joe Gelhardt nets four in 10-2 Leeds United thrashing — Leeds Press 31/7/25