By Pranav Shahaney

12th Sep, 2023 | 6:40pm

Leeds United tabled £3.1m email bid for Fortuna Dusseldorf midfielder Ao Tanaka

Leeds United tabled a £3.1million bid in the summer transfer window for for Fortuna Dusseldorf midfielder Ao Tanaka, according to Bild.

This was the only offer that the German club received for the 25-year-old Japan international.

Leeds sent the offer via email and there were no other clubs that consolidated their interest quite like they did over the past few months.

Bullet dodged?

It was evident that the Whites needed to sign new midfielders this summer and they did exactly that.

It’s normal for clubs to have multiple targets and not pursue all of them until the end if they get their priority options.

Ethan Ampadu was signed early on and Glen Kamara and Ilia Gruev joined in the final days of the transfer window.

Tanaka is a decent option and would’ve been considered if one of the three names had not been signed.

He did decently at the 2022 World Cup for Japan and was even dubbed as a “hero” for his performances for the Asian side.

It remains to be seen if Leeds revisit this player sometime in the future when they need another midfielder.

In other Leeds United news, a Whites player now faces over 12 weeks out of action due to injury if the worst-case scenario takes place.