Strasbourg accepts Leeds United’s £22m bid to sign 21-year-old captain Habib Diarra

Daniel Farke’s Leeds United are in need of midfield additions with Joe Rothwell’s loan from AFC Bournemouth ending.

Brenden Aaronson is the club’s only attacking midfield option, while Leeds United have Ethan Ampadu, Ao Tanaka, and Ilia Gruev as the deeper midfield options.

Therefore, Leeds need to sign at least a couple of midfielders to bolster Daniel Farke’s ranks, both at the base of midfield and with a new playmaker as well.

One market where better value can be found is the French league. Ligue 1 has an abundance of young talents and Habib Diarra is the latest link to emerge.

Leeds bid for Liam Rosenior’s captain Habib Diarra at Strasbourg

Liam Rosenior’s RC Strasbourg qualified for the UEFA Conference League and had the youngest team in Ligue 1 in doing so.

Diarra is a 21-year-old midfielder who can operate as either a box-to-box midfielder or as an attacking midfielder. He was captain of the team as well this season.

French journalist Cryril Olives-Berthet of L’Equipe has revealed Leeds have now tabled a bid of €26 million (£21.9 million) for Diarra.

The report states that Strasbourg are waiting to see how the market may react in the coming days and that other English and German clubs are in constant contact to sign the midfielder.

Diarra was linked with Brighton and Hove Albion, who made a bid of around €23 million plus add-ons to sign him, per L’Equipe.

His contract in Alsace runs until 2028. Interestingly, however, Illan Meslier is of interest to Strasbourg.

Habib Diarra’s goal and assist record

Of course, if he is to displace Aaronson, Diarra must have the output and the quality to do so, which is the most important factor.

As captain, he would not just bring quality to the table, but also intangibles such as leadership as well. Diarra could be a real coup for Leeds if they can acquire him this summer.

One slight issue for Leeds is that the Senegalese international will go to AFCON for a good portion of December and January, which will see Leeds go without the midfielder in a crucial period if they sign him.

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