Credit: Imago

Daniel Davis

Thu 26 March 2026 16:10, UK

Leeds United twice missed out on signing Martin Baturina – and now it’s come back to haunt them.

Baturina has been outstanding for Serie A side Como, registering 11 goal contributions under Cesc Fabregas and helping to inspire their unlikely Champions League charge.

The in-form Croatian international is now said to be valued at around £43million, a substantial increase from the Whites’ past attempts to secure his signature.

Daniel Farke is sorely lacking attacking thrust, especially in behind Dominic Calvert-Lewin, and, at least on paper, Baturina looked the perfect candidate to fix that issue.

However, Baturina is out of Leeds’ reach, leaving them to reflect on what could have been.

When did Leeds try to sign Martin Baturina?

Leeds had approached Baturina as recently as January, but according to Tuttosport, via Tuttomercatoweb, they were unable to secure a £26m deal with Como.

The Italian side spent around £22m to sign him from Dynamo Zagreb in June 2025, and were therefore unwilling to sell him for marginally more than that initial outlay.

But the Whites had also swooped when he had plied his trade in Croatia, with an offer worth around £25m accepted, only for Baturina to snub the switch to Elland Road.

His decision to turn them down was perhaps not surprising, considering Leeds had then been in the Championship, and their loss quickly became Como’s gain.

The window for Leeds to reignite their interest a third time certainly looks closed now, and Farke will instead have to get the best out of his current options up front.

Judging from Baturina’s recent form, though, the loss will sting.

Baturina has impressed this season

This season, Baturina has typically been fielded as one of Fabregas’ two No 10s, with wing-backs providing the width to his left and Nico Paz making direct runs through the centre.

He has caught the eye, hitting seven goals and registering four assists in his 25 appearances in all competitions, and has earned an average Sofascore rating of 7.20.

Baturina was untouchable in a 5-0 win against Pisa last time out, having scored, completed 35 of his 40 attempted passes (88 per cent) and made 18 carries.

The ace has been surprisingly deadly around the penalty area all season, netting all of his goals from just nine shots on target, while he has also made 47 key passes.

Boasting a passing accuracy of 88.8 per cent, Baturina has demonstrated a cool and wily head on young shoulders. His crossing accuracy of 40.6 is another string to his bow, too.

It is obvious that Leeds are missing a creative force of this type, but they will instead have to set their sights elsewhere after their Premier League fate is decided.