Leeds United have officially confirmed that middle midfielder Joe Rothwell and left Winger Manor Solomon have moved out of the club at the end of their respective loan deals.
They both spent the 2024/25 campaign on loan at Elland Road, where the team won the championship title and were promoted to the Premier League in the process.
However, Rothwell will not return to West Yorkshire in a permanent deal, as the Rangers reportedly signed a contract with Bournemouth to sign the midfielder permanently.
The central midfielder played 36 times in the Leeds Championship last year, and the club reportedly sees a midfield replacement coming as an upgrade for Daniel Fark.
Leeds is paying attention to Serie midfielders
The whites have set their sights on the former Premier League star who can upgrade to Rothwell, in the middle of the park next season.
According to Tutto Mercato Web, Leeds United is one of the teams pursuing a contract to sign Juventus Central midfielder Douglas Lewis this summer.
The report claims there are some Premier League sides that are eager to dive for the former Aston Villa man, but at this point the only team to have done an official investigation is white.
Juventus is said to be exploring their options as it appears they will try to throw away some wages during the summer transfer period, and it appears that Lewis’ card has a loan they are obligated to buy.
However, Brazil International is reportedly valued at £30 million by the Italian giants, and it remains to be seen whether Leeds is willing to pay the price, even for the first loan they owed next summer.
Why Luiz is a Rothwell upgrade for Leeds
It is said to be “one of the best (midfielders) in the world” by SkyItalia. If the Championship champions can sign a deal over the Brazilian midfielder line, they can land a major upgrade with Rothwell, who has yet to prove himself at the Premier League level.
Both players played in the 2023/24 campaign on top English flights for Bournemouth and Aston Villa, respectively.
Lauded as “extraordinary” by Pandit Lee Hendry, Lewis showed off his quality at the top level for his term, earning a move to Juventus in the summer of 2024.
The 27-year-old talent only started three of his 19 appearances in Serie A last season, but it appears that Leeds has opened the door to improving their team.
23/24 Premier League | Joe Rothwell (Bornemouth) | Douglas Lewis (Aston Villa) |
|---|---|---|
exterior | 11 | 35 |
Sofa score rating | 6.55 | 7.27 |
the goal | 0 | 9 |
assist | 0 | 5 |
Tackle + Intercept per game | 0.9 | 2.4 |
The duel won every game | 1.5 | 4.1 |
Statistics via Sofascore | ||
As you can see in the table above, there is no debate as to who the Premier League central midfielder is, as the Brazilians provide and defensively provide the team with much more teams.
So Rothwell was loaned out to Southampton for the championship late in the season and took part in Leeds on loan in the summer, which is why Lewis went to Juventus.
He is a proven Premier League performer, has the ability to run to the ground running on Elland Road, and has been there and has done it at that level.
So Leeds can make a big improvement on their team and provide real competition at XI locations by signing things like Ethan Ampadu and Tanaka with loans to the old ladies midfielder for next season.
Related
He’ll be the next Chris Wood: Leeds pushes to sign a £21 million star after Bornault
Leeds United are set to sign Sebasciaen Bornault and are also pushing to land a new striker.
