Tottenham Beat Leeds to Sign Mudryk on Deadline Day

Tottenham have stormed ahead of Leeds United in the race for Mykhailo Mudryk, leaving Daniel Farke’s side searching for attacking alternatives on deadline day.

The Chelsea winger is set to undergo a medical at Spurs after the north London club moved decisively to beat Leeds to his signature. A wide forward has been high on Farke’s wish list all summer, and multiple reports had placed Leeds firmly in contention for the Ukrainian.

That chase is over.

Mudryk is now poised to join Tottenham on a paid loan from Chelsea, with a buy option of around £75 million included in the agreement, according to transfer specialist Fabrizio Romano. The clause is not mandatory, giving Spurs the chance to test the waters before committing to a huge permanent deal.

Romano wrote on X that “everything [is] agreed also on personal terms” and confirmed that Mudryk will rejoin Roberto De Zerbi, under whom he previously flourished. De Zerbi’s side have already thrown serious weight behind this window, assembling a staggering cast of arrivals.

The club’s spending spree has seen Andy Robertson arrive on a free from Liverpool, Marcos Senesi also on a free from Bournemouth, Jan Paul van Hecke for £52m from Brighton, Martin Dubravka on a free from Burnley, Mateus Fernandes for £85m from West Ham, Sandro Tonali for £92.5m from Newcastle United, Savinho for £75m from Manchester City and Omar Marmoush on loan from City. Mudryk is now set to be the latest marquee addition.

Tottenham are not stopping there. The club are preparing medicals for both Mudryk and Tosin Adarabioyo, with the defender also expected to join from London rivals Chelsea as Spurs continue to raid Stamford Bridge.

Mudryk’s story brings intrigue as well as talent. The 25-year-old was hit with a four-year suspension in 2024 after failing a drug test that detected a low concentration of the banned substance meldonium. He had not played since November of that year, but his case took a dramatic turn when an appeal resolved the doping ban and cleared him to return at the end of last month. Now, instead of rebuilding his career at Elland Road, he will attempt to relaunch it under the bright lights of north London.

For Leeds

The failed pursuit lands with a thud.

The club remain intent on adding an attacker before the 11pm deadline, but it will not be Mudryk. That reality sharpens the focus on the options already in Yorkshire, and it could prove a timely boost for two Welsh wingers fighting for their own foothold in Farke’s plans.

• Daniel James and Harry Wilson both operate off the flanks and now see a major rival move elsewhere.
• Wilson, brought in on a free from Fulham in the summer, is pushing to nail down a starting role.
• James enters the campaign after a bruising 18 months disrupted by injuries, desperate to re-establish himself as a key figure.

Neither can relax.

Farke’s determination to “bolster his arsenal” in the final third means any comfort zone disappears quickly. Leeds are chasing a significant improvement on last season’s 14th-place finish in the Premier League, and the manager has made it clear that the attacking department is still under construction.

Complicating matters further is the future of Wilfried Gnonto. The Italian is expected to leave for Fiorentina, but Leeds will only sanction that move if they secure a replacement. With the clock ticking down towards 11pm, the club are walking a tightrope: lose a livewire talent without a successor lined up, and the squad looks thin; hold firm and they risk unsettling a player keen on a move.

Mudryk to Tottenham. Adarabioyo likely to follow. Leeds back in the market, hunting for answers in the final hours.

By the time the window slams shut tonight, we will know whether this was just a missed opportunity, or the moment that defined Leeds United’s season before a ball was even kicked.