Leeds United are on the verge of rewriting their transfer record again, with Manchester City goalkeeper James Trafford expected to complete a move to Elland Road later this week.
The deal is not officially done yet, but reports suggest Trafford is set to join Leeds in a transfer worth around £40m, making him the most expensive signing in the club’s history if everything goes through as expected.
His arrival would push Georginio Rutter down to second place, while the likes of Rio Ferdinand and Diego Llorente would drop just outside the top 10.
1. James Trafford, Manchester City: £40m, expected 2026
James Trafford is expected to become Leeds United’s new record signing, with a £40m move from Manchester City reportedly close to completion.
The 23-year-old goalkeeper is due to undergo a medical this week, with Leeds waiting to finalise what would be a landmark deal for the club. The transfer is expected to go through later this week, although it has not yet been officially confirmed.
It is a major statement from Leeds. For years, the club’s biggest fees have usually been spent on forwards, wingers or creative midfielders. Trafford’s expected arrival shows a different kind of ambition: Leeds are prepared to spend record money on a long-term No.1.
Trafford is viewed as one of the most highly rated young English goalkeepers around, and Leeds’ willingness to pay such a fee underlines how important the position has become in their Premier League planning.
If the deal is completed as expected, he will move straight to the top of Leeds’ all-time transfer list.
2. Georginio Rutter, Hoffenheim: £35.5m, 2023
Some eyebrows were raised when relegation-threatened Leeds broke their transfer record to sign Georginio Rutter in January 2023.
He had only scored twice that season for Hoffenheim and failed to score for the rest of the campaign in his new surroundings. Considering Leeds paid £35.5m for the Frenchman, the recruitment was one of several major decisions placed under the spotlight after relegation.
Would the money have been better spent on a more proven goalscorer than the then-20-year-old? At the time, it was a fair question.
However, Rutter found his form in the Championship. Used in a more effective role by Daniel Farke, he became one of the division’s most creative players.
Rutter’s next move also saw him become a club-record signing elsewhere, as Brighton paid his £40m release clause to take him back to the Premier League in the summer of 2024.
3. Rodrigo, Valencia: £26m, 2020
To celebrate their return to the Premier League in 2020, Leeds broke their transfer record to sign Rodrigo from Valencia at a cost of £26m.
At the time, it was their first investment of £20m or more. Rodrigo also became Leeds’ highest-paid player on a deal worth £100,000 per week.
Returning to the Premier League after his previous spell with Bolton Wanderers almost a decade earlier, Rodrigo played either as an attacking midfielder or a striker during his debut season at Elland Road.
He remained with the club for the duration of their three-year stay in the Premier League, scoring 28 goals in 97 games in all competitions. His best individual campaign came in his final season, when he scored 15 goals.
Following Leeds’ relegation, Rodrigo was sold to Al-Rayyan in the Qatar Stars League. His exit earned Leeds just £3m, representing a substantial loss, although it did help reduce the wage bill.
4. Daniel James, Manchester United: £25m, 2021
Leeds nearly signed Daniel James from Swansea City in January 2019, only for the deal to collapse dramatically at the final stage after he had completed a medical and conducted interviews with club media.
That summer, Swansea sold James to Manchester United for £15m. Two years later, with 50 Premier League appearances under his belt, James commanded a higher fee when Leeds returned for him.
Finally, in August 2021, James became a Leeds player, costing £25m.
He was loaned out to Fulham after a year, and by the time he returned to Leeds, they were a Championship club again. However, he has since become an important figure, making more than 100 appearances for the club and playing a major part in helping Leeds return to the Premier League.
5. Brenden Aaronson, Red Bull Salzburg: £24.7m, 2022
Another American brought to Leeds by Jesse Marsch, Brenden Aaronson was actually a target for Marcelo Bielsa as well before eventually arriving in the summer of 2022.
After 18 months with Red Bull Salzburg, Aaronson earned a £24.7m move to the Premier League, reuniting with the coach who had welcomed him to Austria.
Aaronson brought energy, pressing and technical promise, but he struggled with the physicality of the Premier League. He scored only once in Leeds’ relegation season from 36 league games.
He escaped on loan to Union Berlin in 2023-24 before returning to help Leeds gain promotion from the Championship, producing the best goalscoring season of his career.
Despite the price Leeds paid for him, there are still doubts over whether Aaronson can consistently cut it in the Premier League or whether the club will need to spend big again on a new No.10.
6. Raphinha, Rennes: £23m, 2020
If anyone offered £23m for Raphinha these days, it would not get them very far.
The Brazil winger has since become one of Barcelona’s leading players, but Leeds spotted his talent early.
To cap off their squad building for their Premier League return in 2020, Leeds brought Raphinha to England from Rennes on deadline day that October. The deal was worth £17m rising to £23m with add-ons, and it proved to be inspired business.
Raphinha lit up Elland Road over his two-season stay, scoring 17 goals in 67 games. He later credited Marcelo Bielsa with helping him develop into a player capable of performing at the very highest level.
When Leeds sold Raphinha to Barcelona in 2022, it was for a major profit. The agreed fee was £50m, rising to £55m.
7. Luis Sinisterra, Feyenoord: £21m, 2022
Luis Sinisterra arrived from Feyenoord in 2022 on the back of a 23-goal season.
His signing was designed to help account for the upcoming loss of Raphinha, but he never hit the same heights in West Yorkshire.
Sinisterra had obvious talent and produced flashes of quality, yet injuries disrupted his rhythm and he played in only half of the Premier League games that led to Leeds’ relegation.
He started the following season with Leeds in the Championship, featuring twice before leaving on loan. That move ultimately became permanent, with Bournemouth paying £20m for the Colombia international.
Leeds made only a negligible loss, but the deal still became another example of the club’s expensive 2022 recruitment failing to deliver long-term value at Elland Road.
8. Tyler Adams, RB Leipzig: £20m, 2022
Jesse Marsch was delighted to reunite with his American compatriot Tyler Adams when Leeds raided RB Leipzig in July 2022.
Leeds had just banked £42m from the sale of academy graduate Kalvin Phillips to Manchester City. Having already bought Marc Roca from Bayern Munich for £10m before Phillips’ exit, Leeds did not even need to use half of those funds to replace him with Adams.
The USMNT midfielder made a strong impression when fit. His energy, aggression and reading of the game made him one of the more convincing signings of the Marsch era.
However, Adams only spent one season at Elland Road, missing the final months of the campaign through injury. After Leeds’ relegation, he left for Bournemouth, who signed him for a similar price to what Leeds had paid a year earlier.
9. Anton Stach, Hoffenheim: £19.9m, 2025
Anton Stach became Leeds’ biggest signing of summer 2025 after joining from Hoffenheim on a four-year contract.
The initial fee for Stach was £17.3m, which alone would not have been enough to place him in this top 10. However, reports stated there were a potential £2.6m in add-ons to follow.
If those add-ons are activated, they would take the midfielder’s total cost to just shy of £20m.
Stach arrived as Leeds prepared for another Premier League campaign, bringing Bundesliga experience, physicality and midfield discipline. His inclusion on this list reflects both Leeds’ changing recruitment profile and their willingness to invest heavily in players seen as ready for top-flight football.
10. Jean-Kevin Augustin, RB Leipzig: £18.4m, 2020
This is where things get awkward.
Leeds signed Jean-Kevin Augustin on loan from RB Leipzig in January 2020 for their final charge towards promotion. However, the striker only spent 48 minutes on the pitch across three appearances.
Despite his brief involvement on the pitch, Augustin’s name lingered over Leeds for years.
Leeds had an option to buy Augustin, which they chose not to activate. Leipzig argued that it was actually an obligation if Leeds were promoted, which they were.
Leeds countered that their promotion was confirmed after Augustin’s loan had ended, due to the delayed conclusion of the season. Ultimately, in November 2022, the Court of Arbitration for Sport confirmed Leeds had to pay Leipzig £18.4m for a player who had long since played his last game for the club.
Just Outside the Top 10: Rio Ferdinand and Diego Llorente
James Trafford’s expected £40m move pushes two £18m signings out of the top 10: Rio Ferdinand and Diego Llorente.
Ferdinand remains one of the most significant signings in Leeds history. He arrived from West Ham in 2000, became the world’s most expensive defender at the time and played a key role in the club’s famous run to the Champions League semi-finals.
Llorente, meanwhile, joined from Real Sociedad in 2020 ahead of Leeds’ Premier League return. His time at Elland Road was disrupted by injuries and inconsistency, before he eventually moved on after loan spells away from the club.
Leeds United’s Most Expensive Signings at a Glance
- James Trafford, Manchester City: £40m, expected 2026
- Georginio Rutter, Hoffenheim: £35.5m
- Rodrigo, Valencia: £26m
- Daniel James, Manchester United: £25m
- Brenden Aaronson, Red Bull Salzburg: £24.7m
- Raphinha, Rennes: £23m
- Luis Sinisterra, Feyenoord: £21m
- Tyler Adams, RB Leipzig: £20m
- Anton Stach, Hoffenheim: £19.9m
- Jean-Kevin Augustin, RB Leipzig: £18.4m
What the Trafford Deal Says About Leeds
The expected Trafford signing is different from many of Leeds’ previous record moves.
Rutter, Rodrigo, James, Aaronson, Raphinha and Sinisterra were attacking or creative purchases. Trafford is a goalkeeper, and paying around £40m for that position shows how seriously Leeds are treating their Premier League rebuild.
It also shows a shift in thinking. Leeds are not just spending heavily to add flair. They are spending heavily to solve structural problems.
A long-term No.1 can transform a team’s defensive base, and Trafford’s age means Leeds would be buying both present quality and future value.
If the transfer goes through later this week as expected, it will not just reset Leeds United’s transfer record. It will send a clear message that the club are prepared to spend big in key positions as they try to establish themselves in the Premier League again.
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