Leeds United reach decision on sale of £60m-rated colossus as Euro giants are sent strong warning
Leeds United will make it categorically clear that they have absolutely no intention of letting Tarik Muharemovic leave in January, while they will also take the strongest possible stance on his future next summer, according to sources familiar with the club’s position.
The Whites brought in the Bosnian in a £34m (€40m, $45m) deal from Sassuolo this summer, and it is already looking like one of the finest pieces of business that the club has done in recent years.
Slotting effortlessly into their back three, Muharemovic has already produced several classy displays that have helped Daniel Farke’s side climb to fifth in the Premier League, albeit with their unbeaten start facing its greatest challenge yet when they travel to face champions Arsenal on Saturday lunchtime.
So good have Muharemovic’s early performances been that a number of sizeable Champions League sides have started to take note, with sources revealing over the last 10 days that both Inter Milan and Bayern Munich have emerged as admirers and are tracking his progress with an eye on a potential mid-season swoop.
Per sources close to the situation, however, Farke is very keen to keep building with him and the club would make it emphatically clear that the player is not for sale should any suitor come calling.
The Bosnia and Herzegovina international only arrived in July, signing a five-year contract through to 2031. He was recruited to fill the left-sided defensive role vacated by Pascal Struijk, who joined Brighton in the same window and had been Farke’s first-choice left-footed central defender.
And we’re told that entertaining any deal midway through the season is simply not on the agenda at Elland Road.
Furthermore, we’re told that Leeds are planning to grow alongside the 23-year-old star, rather than look to make a quick buck on their signing.
And while the club are refusing to put a price tag on the star, it’s understood the club already feels they have as good as doubled their initial investment…
Leeds know they have a gem in Muharemovic
Muharemović, 23, is a left-footed centre-back standing at 6ft 4in. He can play on the left of a back four or in a back three, which is why Leeds moved as quickly as they did for him.
He had been a regular at Sassuolo and went to the World Cup with Bosnia and Herzegovina, making three appearances, including the round-of-16 tie in which he was on the end of the foul that brought Folarin Balogun a now-famous red card.
That profile, and the fee paid to secure him, is why the club are treating him as a player to develop rather than one to sell for profit.
Bayern Munich have him listed as part of their defensive rebuild plans, placing the defender among options for a later window rather than an immediate bid. Sitting alongside Brighton’s Luka Vuskovic, he is one of two Premier League stars that the Bundesliga giants are tracking.
Inter Milan and Barcelona have also been mentioned in the wider noise around a possible 2027 move.
Leeds, though, are under no pressure to engage. It has been suggested that it would take more than £60 million, a club-record sale, before the idea was even considered – and that’s just in the here and now.
Such is his upward trajectory; Leeds know that figure is not misguided, given the market price for a top young centre back these days is £60-£80 million.
There is no suggestion of a January exit, and no indication that Farke wants the option of a sale at any point in the future.
The German has already shown how exacting he is with the new signing, and the player has already made it clear he is very happy at the club.
And with Leeds hoping to push on into the top 10 this season after last season’s promising 14th-placed finish, the priority at Elland Road is very much on growth and continuity – and with Muharemovic seen as a big part of that plan.
