Leeds United kick off their 2025/26 Premier League campaign in ten days as they prepare to welcome Everton to Elland Road for their opening game.
The Whites may have a new-look defence in place when the Toffees come to town, as Lucas Perri, Sebastiaan Bornauw, and Gabriel Gudmundsson will all be hoping to start, whilst Jaka Bijol is suspended.
Daniel Farke has only had one new attacker added to his squad during the summer transfer window so far, though, as Lukas Nmecha joined on a free transfer from Wolfsburg.
The German head coach needs more recruits at the top end of the pitch to improve his attacking options, especially in the number ten position, where Brenden Aaronson plays.
Form against the 2024/25 Championship top six
Brenden Aaronson vs
Goals
Assists
Bristol City (A)
0
0
Burnley (H)
0
0
Sunderland (A)
0
0
Sheffield United (H)
0
0
Coventry (H)
0
0
Coventry (A)
0
0
Burnley (A)
0
0
Sunderland (H)
0
0
Sheffield United (A)
0
0
Bristol City (H)
0
0
As you can see in the table above, the USA international struggled badly against the top teams in the Championship, which does not suggest that he is likely to fare well against Premier League teams.
Leeds reportedly looked at a loan swoop for Aston Villa attacking midfielder Emiliano Buendia earlier in the window, but that particular rumour has gone cold.
Why Leeds may not want to sign Emiliano Buendia
A link to the Argentina international was always going to pop up during the summer transfer window, whether there was genuine interest or not, because of his relationship with Farke.
The Leeds boss signed Buendia for Norwich in the summer of 2018 and coached him for three seasons in Norfolk, winning two Championship titles in the process. During that time, the playmaker scored 24 goals and provided 41 assists in 121 appearances for the Canaries.
This shows why Farke may want to work with the Argentine magician again, as he delivered goals and assists on a regular basis for him in East Anglia.
However, Buendia turns 29 in December and he has yet to prove that he can deliver consistent quality at the top end of the pitch at Premier League level.
Emi Buendia’s Premier League career
Season
Appearances
Goals
Assists
24/25
12
0
0
22/23
38
5
2
21/22
35
4
6
19/20
36
1
7
Leeds, if he is not available on loan, may be reluctant to spend big money on an ageing player who has not fully proven himself as an attacking threat at the top level, with no more than five goals in any of his four seasons in the Premier League.
This may be why the West Yorkshire outfit are reportedly looking at alternative options to come in and bolster their options in the number ten position before the summer transfer window slams shut at the start of September.
Leeds target is keen on Elland Road move
According to the Yorkshire Evening Post newsletter, as relayed by Leeds United News, Leicester City attacking midfielder Bilal El Khannouss is very interested in a move to Elland Road this summer.
The report claims that the player’s camp have confirmed that he is interested in signing for the Championship champions before the end of the window, and that a meeting has already been held to discuss a possible move.
It adds that the Whites have also made an enquiry to Leicester about a potential deal to sign the Morocco international, who reportedly has a release clause of £22m in his contract.
Tottenham Hotspur, who will be in the Champions League in the 2025/26 campaign, have also been linked with an interest in the 21-year-old talent this month.
This latest update on El Khannouss’ eagerness to sign for Leeds will, therefore, come as a big boost to the Whites, who will be hoping to beat off competition from other teams to land his signature.
Why Leeds should sign Bilal El Khannouss
The West Yorkshire outfit should be pushing to get this deal over the line as quickly as possible, now that they know that the player is keen to make it happen, because he could be Farke’s new version of Buendia.
Unlike the Aston Villa attacker, the Leicester youngster is at the start of his career, at the age of 21, and Leeds would be signing a player who is on his way up in the game.
El Khannouss, who has been hailed as“exceptional” by analyst Ben Mattinson, has plenty of time left ahead of him to develop and improve after his debut season in England, whilst Buendia is closer to the latter stages of his career and still searching for consistency.
The £22m-rated starlet showed flashes of quality in the Premier League with the Foxes, who were relegated, as he created eight ‘big chances’ in 27 starts.
24/25 Premier League
Bilal El Khannous per 90
Percentile rank vs AMs & wingers
xAG
0.19
Top 46%
Assists
0.12
Bottom 35%
Passes attempted
43.85
Top 15%
Progressive passes
5.28
Top 14%
Passes into the final third
3.67
Top 10%
Key passes
1.73
Top 37%
Through balls
0.45
Top 16%
As you can see in the table above, El Khannouss ranked highly among his positional peers in a host of passing and creative metrics for Leicester.
He was unfortunate to only register three assists from his eight ‘big chances created’ and 0.19 xAG per 90, as his teammates failed to make the most of the high-quality opportunities that were created for them.
These statistics suggest that the Leicester dynamo has the potential to be an incredibly creative force in the number ten position for Leeds, as he was able to shine as a creator in his first year in England as a young player in a team that got relegated.
The Whites will be hoping to put up more of a fight than the Foxes did in the Premier League, which may mean that El Khannouss has even more opportunities to showcase his creativity in what will, hopefully, be a more successful team on the pitch.
Overall, the Morocco international could be Farke’s next Buendia as an impressive creative threat in the number ten position, and signing him over the former Norwich man may make more sense due to their respective ages and potential for growth in the years to come.