Leeds United face a difficult battle persuading Santiago Gimenez to turn his back on AC Milan amid a big admission from his father, despite sources revealing to us that intermediaries are looking into brokering a potential deal to take the striker to the Premier League.
The Mexico international carved out a fine reputation as an elite goalscorer when honing his craft under Arne Slot at Feyenoord, where he scored a hugely impressive 65 goals in 105 appearances. That form earned Gimenez a big-money move to AC Milan in February 2025, where he signed in a €32m (£28m, $37.5m) transfer and on a contract until the summer of 2029.
Sadly, the move to Italy has not had the desired impact that either party were hoping for, and his time in Italy has so far yielded a meagre seven goals in 30 games.
Off the back of that, and feeling like a change of scene could be the best option for all parties, sources revealed to TEAMtalk last week that intermediaries working on behalf of the striker had offered the player to potential Premier League suitors, of which Leeds and West Ham were both mentioned.
As it stands, those intermediaries are reaching out to gauge prospective interest from England, which, as it stands, we’ve been told is an attempt to try and drum up interest, and with Gimenez’s camp having pushed back on claims that he could be looking to leave.
However, Milan, for their part, are understood to be exploring potential upgrades in attack, with Parma’s Mateo Pellegrino and Manchester United’s Joshua Zirkzee – whose form during his time at Bologna still makes him an attractive option – two names on their shortlist.
However, Gimenez’s father is now also rowing back on claims that a move could be on the cards.
“Santi has great affection for Milan, so he is living a dream,” his father told the Vamos Show podcast on YouTube.
“There are photographs I have of Santi at the age of six and nine, wearing the Milan jersey. I still have at home a Milan jacket he wore when he was 10 years old.
“Santi wants to stay at Milan. This is an important club, where he must perform at the maximum level. He’s very happy here, as we had many proposals from Saudi Arabia and more, but when Milan arrived, he said he only wanted to go there.”
Get the inside story first by joining our TEAMtalk Facebook channel to receive the latest breaking and exclusive news straight into your Messenger inbox.
Leeds chasing deal for Scotland midfielder
While a prospective move for Gimenez was always ambitious at best, we have been informed that the Whites are very much in the market for strengthening their forward line in January, with the club looking at both another striker option and ideally, another creative outlet who can play either in the No.10 role or off the right wing.
Indeed, the summer failures to land either Facundo Buonanotte or Harry Wilson hit Daniel Farke’s plans hard and left the Whites facing a difficult end to the window.
There will be some cash available to try and amend that in January, despite managing director Robbie Evans speaking out shortly after the summer window shut to play down such a possibility.
Per the Daily Mail, Leeds are also looking into a deal for rising Scottish star Josh Mulligan, who recently received his first call-up to the Scotland national squad after a hugely impressive run of form with Hibs.
The 23-year-old only joined Hibs in June, signing a four-year deal, but his all-action displays in their engine room have quickly caught the eye, and scouts from both Leeds and Nottingham Forest have been tracking the player in the wake of his superb performances.
Per the report, which comes from the well-informed Simon Jones, it’s claimed the pair are open to a potential January deal and have made enquiries with the Edinburgh side to assess their demands.
After looking into the story ourselves, our Scotland-based transfer correspondent, Fraser Fletcher, has confirmed that Leeds’ interest in Mulligan is genuine.
Mulligan was recently called up into Steve Clarke’s Scotland squad and while he was an unused sub in the recent game against Belarus, he will be hoping a big-money move could catapult him into the reckoning ahead of next summer’s showpiece in the United States.
Latest Leeds news: Romano confirms links to Como star;
Meanwhile, Leeds face double disappointment in their quest to bring a top Como star to Elland Road, with Fabrizio Romano revealing why their efforts are destined to fail and forcing Farke to turn to alternatives.
Elsewhere, the Whites are also being credited with an interest in a powerful 6ft 5in Canadian striker who recently scored in the Champions League, though sources understand it is West Ham who lead that particular race.
Finally, after a brilliant week at Elland Road, Farke has declared he is “not fighting for his job” and has indicated he still retains boardroom support.
Leeds will be hoping to follow up their win over Chelsea and draw against Liverpool with another strong performance and result as they take on Brentford in the Super Sunday showdown this coming weekend.