Leeds United are in talks to sign Kalvin Phillips

After agreeing a deal to sign defender Tarik Muharemovic, Leeds United could focus on adding midfielders this summer.

The Whites have agreed a £34m fee with Sassuolo for the Bosnian international, which could see him sign in the window.

Daniel Farke is looking to add more quality to his squad after the arrivals of Harry Wilson and Muharemovic, however, as the club hold talks with Southampton over a deal to sign Shea Charles.

The Northern Ireland international is valued at £25m by the Championship club, meaning he could be another expensive addition to the West Yorkshire outfit.

Why Leeds need to sign more than one midfielder

Charles may not be the only midfielder Leeds sign in the summer transfer window, as there are question marks over many of Farke’s current options in those positions.

For example, Ilia Gruev and Sean Longstaff started a combined 25 Premier League games last term, with the former Newcastle United star starting just ten league games.

Ao Tanaka has also been linked with a move away from Elland Road. TEAMtalk reported earlier this summer that Hertha Berlin, Hannover, and Schalke have all shown interest in the Japan international.

The loss of the Japanese midfielder will leave the Whites with four players who could occupy three positions, depending on Farke’s formation, and five if Charles joins.

Therefore, Leeds could need another central midfielder to step in and take the load off other players in that position, while the club may want to add more quality after Longstaff and Gruev struggled to start last season.

How Leeds can strengthen their midfield

The Whites may be chasing another player in that position alongside their talks to bring in Charles from Southampton ahead of next season.

Milan News reports that the 49ers are interested in Leeds United’s deal to sign AC MIlan midfielder Yunus Musah in the summer transfer window.

The official says the Premier League side have already made contact with the Italian giants about what a move for the USA international could look like.

It adds, however, that new Milan manager Ruben Amorim is yet to make a decision on his future and it may take some time to assess him before the season, meaning this move could be a bit of a burn for Leeds.

Farke could land his own version of Leeds star Kalvin Phillips if the club can reach an agreement with Milan for the 23-year-old, who has experience in Serie A and LaLiga.

Phillips, of course, was a formidable player for the Whites in the Premier League before his £45m move to Manchester City in 2022, shining as a defensive midfielder.

In his best season, the 2020/21 campaign, the England international ranked in the top 10% of midfielders in the league for possession (214) and a top 36% for possessions won in the final third (11), highlighting how successful he was in winning the ball back.

Musah could offer similar qualities in the middle of the park for Leeds, despite starting five of his 20 Serie A appearances on loan at Atalanta last term.

In his limited game time, the American midfielder ranks in the top 12% of Serie A midfielders for possessions per 90 (5.25) and the top 1% for possessions won in the final third per 90 (0.55), showing that he can be effective without playing in midfield.

Musah also showed quality on the ball, however, with a 1.94 per 90 dribbling efficiency and a 66.7% success rate, ranking in the top 14% of midfielders in the division in both stats.

Given the chance to play regular football under Farke, the 23-year-old star could emerge as the new Phillips at Leeds by providing superior pressing and ball-winning qualities to the midfielder, using his movement and physicality to regularly disrupt opposition attacks.