Credit: Imago

James Barker

Tue 2 June 2026 11:10, UK

Taty Castellanos has proven he would be a strong signing for Leeds United to make this summer, after the Whites missed out on his services last winter.

The 2025-26 January transfer window proved to be a quiet one for Leeds, with only Facundo Buonanotte arriving on loan from Brighton.

Had Daniel Farke and the 49ers had their way, however, the Argentine attacking midfielder wouldn’t have been the only new addition.

Indeed, the Whites were strongly linked with a host of players, particularly in the attacking department, as Farke looked to ensure his squad had enough cutting edge to survive during the second half of last season.

One of the names linked with a move to Elland Road was a striker plying his trade in Serie A, Castellanos.

Leeds can exploit West Ham relegation for Taty Castellanos

Having provided five goal contributions in 12 games for Lazio during the first half of the 2025-26 season, as well as netting 14 times in 2024-25, Castellanos was clearly a player with quality.

However, Leeds weren’t the only Premier League club sniffing around his signature, as their relegation rivals West Ham were also pursuing a move for the Argentine international.

Leeds have been linked to Castellanos for multiple years, with interest documented during his time with MLS side New York City FC, for whom he represented from 2018 to 2023.

Alas, it was to be West Ham who won the race for his services last winter, splashing out a reported fee in the region of £26million to bring the 27-year-old to the London Stadium.

He quickly became a popular figure amongst the Hammers support too, scoring six times in 18 Premier League appearances and providing an injection of energy and industry to their forward line.

Malick's fantastic delivery met by Taty 🎯 pic.twitter.com/ncF1yzGY4f

— West Ham United (@WestHam) February 7, 2026

But, with Nuno Espirito Santo’s side now needing to raise a reported £150m through player sales this summer, and given the fact he’s shown production at Premier League and Serie A levels respectively, Castellanos may be on his way out this summer.

Would Castellanos complement Leeds’ attacking options?

Castellanos is the kind of striker who is always moving, with his desire and willingness to make runs into space ensuring he’s a handful for opposition defenders to play against.

Quick off the mark but strong in the air as well, pairing him up alongside Dominic Calvert-Lewin could be a recipe for major Leeds success in 2026-27.

Castellanos’ movement and runs in-behind can drag defenders with him and open up more space in and around the penalty area, which is exactly where Calvert-Lewin does his best work.

Farke could have a lot of fun with those two as his strike partnership, potentially dropping Calvert-Lewin deeper with Castellanos spinning off him, whilst having two big physical presences for Leeds’ wide players to pick out.

So, whilst he may not necessarily be available on the cheap, a strong offer from Leeds early doors this summer and before West Ham have had the chance to raise significant funds, could make it very hard for the Hammers to rebuff their advances.

Whilst for Castellanos, a player firmly in his prime years and having shown the potential to score plenty of goals in the top flight in a better team, he’d surely be keen to get back into the Premier League with Leeds.