The £40m midfield gem signing who could supercharge Leeds United amid fresh transfer links

Leeds United stormed to the Championship title last season under the guidance of Daniel Farke. They went up from the second tier along with Burnley and Sunderland. The Whites have since been busy on the recruitment front bolstering their ranks with signings like Anton Stach, Jaka Bijol and Sean Longstaff, among others.

The step up to the Premier League is a steep one and the Yorkshire club will be hoping that they can avoid being dragged back down to the second tier once again. They have picked up four points from their first three fixtures - Farke’s men beat Everton and lost at Arsenal, before their 0-0 draw with Newcastle United last time out.

Leeds United eye Manchester City’s Nico O’Reilly

According to CaughtOffside, Leeds are interested in a move for Manchester City’s Nico O’Reilly. The report adds that Lyon, Nottingham Forest and Brighton and Hove Albion are also admirers, whilst Chelsea and Bayer Leverkusen were keen on him in the last window. He is said to be valued at around the £40 million mark, as per Football Insider, so the Whites would need to fork out big money to get him when winter comes.

O’Reilly, 20, has been on the books at City for his whole career to date. He has risen up through their academy ranks and was a regular at various different youth levels. The youngster can play central midfield or at left wing-back if needed, proving himself to be a versatile option.

The England youth international, who has most recently represented the Three Lions at U20s level, penned his first professional contract at the Etihad Stadium back in 2022. He was handed his first-team debut by Pep Guardiola a year later in the Community Shield final against rivals Manchester United. The Mancunian has since gone on to play 23 matches and has found the net on five occasions.

Why Manchester City’s Nico O’Reilly would suit Leeds United

Leeds could see O’Reilly as someone to boost their midfield ranks. He would be an eye-catching addition if they were able to see off competition from elsewhere to secure his signature. In addition, he would add more competition and depth to their ranks and inject more quality into their starting XI.

The prospect would be guaranteed game time with the Whites if he moved there. He currently has to bide his time for opportunities at City due to the stellar rival options that they have at their disposal in his position. Therefore, he should seriously consider what he wants to do next ahead of the January window.

O’Reilly is still very young and has bags of potential to grow and develop in the future. If Leeds managed to get him, he would be a great long-term option. He would be someone that they may be able to sell on for a profit down the line.

Farke was appointed as the Whites’ head coach back in 2023, having previously made his name at Norwich City. His team were beaten in the play-off final by Southampton after his first term in charge. However, they stuck by the German afterwards and he repaid them with promotion a few months ago.

Leeds will be praying that their signings over the summer can do enough to keep them in the top flight. It hasn’t been a bad opening few games but they need to be a bit more ruthless in front of goal. In fact, they haven’t scored from open play yet in the league.

They still have plenty of time to turn things around though and it is still early days. Next up is a tricky away trip to Craven Cottage to play Fulham. They then end September with clashes against Wolves and AFC Bournemouth as they look to start getting some positive results under their belt.