Leeds United cool interest in Mohamed Camara

Mohamed Camara’s deal to join Leeds United this summer has reportedly fallen through, with the Whites no longer in the race for the RB Salzburg midfielder.

According to a report in the Austrian newspaper Salzburger Nachrichten, as relayed by Sport Witness, Leeds United have reportedly pulled the plug on the €30 million deal to sign 22-year-old Malian enforcer Mohamed Camara from Red Bull Salzburg, with the Whites opting for a cheaper alternative in Tyler Adams instead.

With Kalvin Phillips having left for Manchester City, the Whites started searching the market for a new midfielder this summer. Given his importance to the club, his £42 million departure left Leeds with a gaping hole to fill in their squad. And it seemed that boss Jesse Marsch had decided on two potential replacements.

Malian midfielder Camara was one of Leeds United’s midfield targets, having previously worked with Jesse Marsch at Red Bull Salzburg, with an Austrian outlet claiming that a big-money transfer is ‘imminent’ after Leeds made a breakthrough in talks over the weekend in a deal worth around €30 million with bonuses.

However, Camara’s chances of joining Leeds United are all but over, with the Peacocks now extremely unlikely to follow up their initial interest with a firm bid after the signing of Adams appears to have put a stop to the process.

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Leeds had already acquired Marc Roca from Bayern Munich as well as Brenden Aaronson, with both of them able to operate as central midfielders. With them now signing Adams as well, going into the market for another midfielder does not make any sense as they would surely want to use the funds acquired from Phillips to strengthen other areas of the pitch, especially the striker position.

The move falling through in such a fashion is unfortunate for the player, as the 22-year-old was thought to be excited about the prospect of joining Leeds United this summer. And while he is expected to report back for pre-season training with his parent club this week, a Premier League move is not completely out of the question, with both Newcastle United and Brighton & Hove Albion holding an interest in the midfielder.

Newcastle, for one, are stacked with midfielders but lack a defensive presence with Isaac Hayden moving to Norwich City earlier this summer. With Jeff Hendrick and Matty Longstaff not expected to stay, the Toon chiefs believe Camara could fit the bill.

Camara’s stellar performances for Salzburg, particularly in the Champions League last season, drew a lot of attention. Likened to N’Golo Kante, the Malian appears to be tailor-made for Premier League football, as he is strong in the tackle, an excellent passer of the ball, and a dynamo who covers every inch of grass.

As for Salzburg, they are planning to keep hold of their star midfielder but could be open to selling the 22-year-old for the above-mentioned €30 million valuation. Only time will tell whether Leeds’ made the right decision by not opting for a Camara deal. However, they have acquired a player very well-known to manager Marsch in Adams for a relatively modest £20 million fee.