Reports emerged earlier this morning that Leeds United were set to complete the signing of Brazilian winger Mateus Tete, a Shakhtar Donetsk player currently on loan at Lyon in Ligue 1 [via GetFootballNewsFrance]. However, as is often the case with transfer rumours approaching deadline day, these reports appear to have been premature and there is yet to be any agreement made between Leeds and the Ukrainian side to bring the player to Elland Road [via L’Equipe].
Mateus Tete joined Lyon on loan at the beginning of the 2022-23 campaign, and has been in impressive form throughout the season. The 22 year old winger has made 17 appearances in the league to-date, netting 6 goals and registering 3 assists – not including an additional two assists in cup games on the season [via Transfermarkt].
There is speculation that Tete was absent from Lyon’s training this morning, and he is keen on pursuing a move elsewhere during the current transfer window with the Premier League tipped as the desired destination. L’Equipe also suggest that there will be competition from Brazilian clubs in securing Tete’s signature.
It was definitely a bit of a surprise to see reports this morning that Leeds were in for another winger, given the wealth of attacking options currently at the club. If there were to be any real substance behind this move, it would start to make you wonder about potential departures from Elland Road before the transfer deadline next Tuesday.
Mateus Tete has been a long-term transfer target of fellow Premier League strugglers Leicester City, so its hard to see them completely backing off while a rival club swoops in for their man However, there has been plenty of talk this week that the Foxes are very interested in bringing Leeds winger Jack Harrison to the King Power Stadium.
We’ll be closely monitoring activity around both Mateus Tete and Jack Harrison over the next few days and will keep you up to date with any significant developments as they arise.
Let us know your thoughts about the speculation around the two wingers in the comments below and on Twitter at @VitalLeeds!