Sunderland were left panicking on deadline day in their hunt for a new winger. In the process, they made a stunning approach to sign Leeds United’s Noah Okafor.
You’re never far away from chaos in the transfer window for Leeds and subsequent online meltdown.
This year was different, though. It was refreshing to see that the scrambles and hijacks were going on elsewhere, while Leeds only strengthened on deadline day.
Leeds United reject £35million offer from Sunderland for Noah Okafor
Leeds landed Melvin Bard and Jean-Matteo Bahoya in the closing hours of Tuesday. Meanwhile, Sunderland were left panicking over their deal to sign Malick Fofana.
The Lyon winger did end up arriving on Wearside. But, the Black Cats are still short of winger depth to kick on this season.
The Athletic reported that Sunderland’s desperate attempt to put contingencies in place out wide included an approach for Noah Okafor.
Since, Fabrizio Romano shared that there was an unnamed £35million offer to sign the Swiss winger, a deal that never got off the ground.
🚨⛔️ Leeds United rejected approaches from several clubs for Noah Okafor – also with a £35m bid on table on Deadline Day.#LUFC see Noah as key player and he wanted to stay. pic.twitter.com/7GGrVugPgo
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) September 2, 2026
49ers’ Noah Okafor masterclass outlined after Leeds United rejected £35m approaches
When Leeds signed Okafor last summer for £18million, it seemed like something of a risk.
There was no denying that bringing him in raised the level of our squad, and that was proven by his quality in the final third from very early on. A first goal away at Wolves was a sign of things to come, which he showed in a terrific run from February onwards.
Now, Leeds are in a position where he’s been commanding approaches worth £35million, around double his valuation. In June or July, you could’ve ensisaged Leeds seeing that as good business to cash in, but not on deadline day obviously.
Not only has Leeds been a great career move for Okafor himself, but it’s been great for United too. We have doubled the value of a key asset, which stands us in good stead for the future, if the winger fancies pastures new.
Right now, there’s nothing to worry about. Okafor loves it here, clearly:
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