What new Igor Paixao transfer reveal means for Leeds United as Marseille await offer

Leeds United are set to face fresh transfer competition for Igor Paixao.

The 26-year-old Brazilian winger has been widely linked with a move to Elland Road again this summer.

Capable of playing as an attacking midfielder and even at wing-back, he would bring the versatile profile Daniel Farke loves to West Yorkshire.

After scoring 12 goals and providing six assists in his debut 2025-26 season with Marseille, however, his signature is a coveted one.

Leeds know they will have to stump up the cash if they wish to secure his services this summer.

But, they're potentially set to be blown out of the water in the race to sign the former Feyenoord star.

Where is an offer set to arrive for Leeds-linked Igor Paixao from?

Leeds have been told Paixao could cost around £42.7million in order to sign him from Marseille.

This does provide a potential issue for the Whites, who've already spent significant funds in the market this summer.

But, Paixao's valuation is no longer set to be the biggest hurdle to a possible deal for Leeds.

Writing to his X account, Foot Mercato reporter Santi Aouna claims that Marseille expect to receive an offer from Saudi Arabia for Paixao.

That's likely to be from one of Saudi Arabia's top clubs given his value and profile, which naturally presents a big problem for Leeds.

From a financial perspective, an offer from Saudi is likely to come with a very lucrative wage packet, and one that Leeds perhaps won't compete with.

Should that offer arrive, Leeds' only hope may rest on how Paixao would feel about moving to Saudi from a career perspective.

But is Paixao a player Leeds desperately need, or should the Whites resist any temptation to offer silly money for the Brazilian?

Why pre-season evidence shouldn't have Leeds rushing to Paixao

Leeds enjoyed a fantastic summer pre-season campaign, enjoying a host of impressive wins and performances to boot.

A number of players really took their chances over the last few weeks, and a few of those have been across the forward line.

Dan James certainly caught the eye this summer, grabbing an assist against Man United and banking other strong outings too.

Meanwhile, Brenden Aaronson was arguably Leeds' best player in pre-season, with two goals and two assists to his name.

Anton Stach looked good when asked to play out on the left, Lukas Nmecha grabbed a couple of goals and Harry Wilson is in the building too.

Factor in Noah Okafor now being back and Wilfried Gnonto also looking tidy before his injury, and Farke has enough options in attack.

Therefore, unless it makes financial sense for Leeds, then Paixao is probably a player they can afford to step away from this summer.