Leeds close to verbal agreement to sign the new Idrissa Gana Gueye from controversial club
Leeds are ramping up their efforts to add to their squad in the January transfer window after an underwhelming start to the Premier League season.
Daniel Farke’s Leeds lost 2-0 at the hands of Burnley on Saturday, leaving the Whites sat 15th in the Premier League standings after eight games.
Micah Richards praised Leeds’ performance at Turf Moor. However, points are what matter the most and the fact is that the Yorkshire side has lost 50 per cent of their league fixtures so far, and have won just two times since winning the Championship title last term.
A lot of fans will point to the lack of activity in the summer transfer window as the main reason why Leeds have struggled in the 2025-26 campaign.
And it seems that Farke and co are already working to rectify the summer’s mistakes by lining up new signings for January.
Leeds set to submit official bid for Maccabi Tel Aviv’s Issouf Sissokho
Leeds are reportedly interested in signing Maccabi Tel Aviv midfielder Issouf Sissokho in the winter.
AfricaFoot claims that the Whites have started talks to sign the 23-year-old Malian and are readying an “official offer” to the Israeli club “in the coming weeks”.
It is understood that “verbal agreement between the two parties could soon be reached” as Leeds aim to add to their midfield options.
Sissoko has played 12 times in all competitions this season for Maccabi Tel Aviv, the Israeli club at the centre of controversy surrounding their upcoming Europa League game at Aston Villa.
Maccabi’s fans are banned from attending the Villa Park showdown due to safety concerns, while their domestic game on Sunday against Hapoel Tel Aviv was postponed due to trouble in the stands.
Sissokho, who’s previously played for Bordeaux in France, is yet to play for the Mali national team, but he did represent them in the Olympics last year, playing in a 1-0 defeat to Japan.
What kind of player is Issouf Sissokho?
Based on what FBRef has to say, Sissokho is very similar to Everton’s deep-lying midfielder Idrissa Gana Gueye.
Stats show that Sissokho has completed 93.2 per cent of his passes over the last year, ranking him in the 99th percentile for players in his position in top European competitions.
Everton’s former PSG midfielder Gueye is known for his high-energy and physical kind of play, while also being adept with the ball at his feet once he’s got it.
If Leeds were to sign Sissokho, they can very much expect him to be someone who’d sit in front of Farke’s defence, mopping up play and redistributing the ball to his teammates.
However, Farke already has Anton Stach, Ethan Ampadu and Ilia Gruev who can play in that kind of role, so why would he need another?
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