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Key Points

Leeds United have strengthened their squad with the signing of Swiss striker Noah Okafor from AC Milan for £18 million. The 25-year-old forward has signed a four-year contract at Elland Road, becoming the club's ninth new addition this window. Okafor expressed his excitement about fulfilling his childhood dream of playing in the Premier League, calling it "the best league in the world." This transfer contributes to the Premier League's record-breaking summer spending of £2.37 billion, with the window still having ten days remaining.

Key Points: Leeds Sign Noah Okafor from AC Milan as Premier League Spending Hits Record

  • Okafor signs four-year deal with Leeds after limited playing time at AC Milan
  • Swiss striker previously scored 25 goals in 71 games for Basel
  • Premier League spending hits record £2.37bn surpassing last year's total
  • Liverpool's £100m Florian Wirtz signing leads summer transfer activity
3 min read

Leeds sign Noah Okafor from AC Milan as Premier League spending hits record £2.37bn

Leeds United complete £18m signing of Swiss striker Noah Okafor from AC Milan, contributing to Premier League's record-breaking £2.37bn summer transfer spend.

"As a kid, I dreamed of playing in the Premier League. That’s why for me it was quite an easy decision - Noah Okafor"

New Delhi, Aug 21

English football club Leeds United have bolstered their squad with the signing of Switzerland striker Noah Okafor from AC Milan in an £18m deal, taking the overall Premier League spending this summer to a record-breaking £2.37bn.

The 25-year-old forward has signed a four-year contract at Elland Road and becomes Leeds’ ninth new addition of the window, following their return to the Premier League after clinching promotion from the Championship. “As a kid, I dreamed of playing in the Premier League. That’s why for me it was quite an easy decision,” said Okafor after completing the move.

“My football suits the Premier League, so this is like a dream come true. I can’t wait to step on the field. I heard that the Premier League is the best league in the world. It’s so intense. I have loads of friends who played there. I’m really, really excited.”

Okafor began his career at Basel, where he scored 25 goals in 71 Swiss league appearances, before moving to RB Salzburg and later joining AC Milan in 2023.

In Milan, he found regular starts hard to come by, scoring seven goals in 54 games, with most of his appearances coming from the bench. His most recent Serie A strike came on the opening day of last season, before he spent the second half of the campaign on loan at Napoli, featuring in four cameo appearances.

Okafor’s arrival at Elland Road contributes to the highest-ever Premier League summer spending total, surpassing the previous record of £2.36bn set in 2023, according to FootballTransfers.com.

Six clubs have already smashed their individual transfer records this summer. Brentford secured Burkina Faso forward Dango Ouattara from Bournemouth in a deal worth up to £42.5m, while Bournemouth invested £34.6m in French centre-back Bafodé Diakité.

Burnley and Sunderland splashed £25m and £26m respectively for French midfielder Lesley Ugochukwu and Senegal’s Habib Diarra, with the latter’s deal potentially reaching £30m with add-ons. Nottingham Forest also broke their record twice, signing Switzerland winger Dan Ndoye from Bologna before completing a £37.5m move for Omari Hutchison from Ipswich.

The biggest deal of the summer so far was by Liverpool, who made headlines by signing German star Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen for £100m plus £16m in add-ons. Should those add-ons be triggered, Wirtz’s move will set a new British transfer record, eclipsing the £107m Chelsea paid Benfica for Enzo Fernandez in 2023. With ten days still remaining in the transfer window, the £2.37bn figure is expected to climb even higher,

- IANS

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Reader Comments

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Priya S
Okafor struggled at Milan but Premier League might suit his style better. Hope he proves himself at Leeds. Meanwhile, Indian football clubs can only dream of such transfer budgets 😅 Our entire ISL season budget is probably less than one of these deals.
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Aditya G
Liverpool spending £100m on Wirtz is madness! But if he performs like he did in Bundesliga, it might be worth it. Premier League quality keeps getting better every year. Indian players should aim to reach this level someday 🤞
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Sarah B
As someone who follows both European and Indian football, the financial gap is staggering. But we must appreciate how Premier League's commercial success benefits football globally. Hope some of this wealth trickles down to developing football nations.
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Vikram M
Respectfully, this spending is getting out of hand. While exciting for fans, it creates unsustainable financial pressure on clubs. Many teams go into massive debt chasing success. Football should be more about talent development than cheque book competition.
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Nikhil C
Leeds making smart moves after promotion. Okafor might be a bargain at £18m if he adapts well. Premier League is where dreams come true for players worldwide. Meanwhile in India, we're still struggling with basic infrastructure. Long way to go for Indian football! 🇮🇳

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