Late hijack! Premier League club snatches Bundesliga speedster on deadline night
Deadline night has delivered a genuine plot twist in Yorkshire: Leeds United have jumped to the front of the queue for Eintracht Frankfurt winger Jean-Mattéo Bahoya.
Details: According to Santi Aouna of Foot Mercato, Leeds and Frankfurt have reached an agreement in principle for the 21 year old French attacker. Personal terms are also agreed, and a medical is already scheduled. Only two days ago Bahoya looked bound for Hull City, who had even been given permission for a medical of their own.
Bahoya is exactly the kind of profile Elland Road has been hunting in the last hours of the window: a left winger who can also play as an attacking midfielder, and one of the fastest players in German football. In 2024/25 he clocked a Bundesliga record sprint of 37.16 km/h, the only player in league history to break the 37 km/h barrier since records began. Frankfurt signed him from Angers in January 2024 for around €8 million on a contract running until June 2029, and last season he delivered 3 goals and 4 assists in 27 Bundesliga appearances. Across all competitions he has made 78 appearances for Die Adler, scoring 7 and providing 8 assists. Transfermarkt values him at €25 million. Roma, Arsenal and even a Saudi club that once tabled a huge bid have all circled him, but it is newly ambitious Leeds who have now stolen a march on Hull and booked the medical.
It's worth noting that Bahoya has yet to feature in the new Bundesliga campaign, so Frankfurt would be selling a player who is fully available for the rest of the season, while Leeds add explosive pace to an attack still being rebuilt after promotion life in the Premier League.
Reminder: Here we go! Leverkusen seal a huge late-window move.
Miguel Solomons
Dailysports's expert
