Leeds aim to sign £20m defender before Juventus and Inter swoop

Oumar Solet of Udinese looks on during the warm up. (Photo by Timothy Rogers/Getty Images)

Oumar Solet is a target for Leeds this summer, and the Whites could pick up a real bargain if they secure the defender for £20m.

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Leeds United are closing in on what could be one of the bargain deals of the summer, sources are reporting today.

The Whites are in talks over signing Udinese centre back Oumar Solet, with Football Insider saying that a fee of just £20m could land the Frenchman because his contract expires a year from now.

Regardless, it won’t be an easy deal to pull off – this report claims there are three Serie A teams in the race for Solet, and there could be teams abroad watching too. Inter and Juventus are mentioned, but they would probably hope to wait a year to secure the former Lyon man on a free.

Solet wanted by top Serie A clubs as well as Premier League teams

Another great find from the Red Bull system, Solet shone at RB Salzburg before moving to Udinese in January 2025.

There he quickly established himself as one of Serie A’s most coveted defenders, playing in every game as the team from Udine battled to a 10th place finish in Italy’s top flight last season. He attracted the attention of many clubs across Europe with his performances.

Leeds ended up avoiding relegation pretty comfortably – but they were struggling in the first part of the campaign, and are looking to add a level of quality which will mean they avoid that stress next season. Solet would be a great start.