Leeds United land Noah Okafor in £18m move as Premier League spending smashes record

Leeds United have completed the signing of Swiss striker Noah Okafor from AC Milan in a deal worth £18 million, pushing Premier League clubs’ total summer spending to a new all-time high of £2.37 billion, Sport360NG reports.

The 25-year-old forward, who has penned a four-year contract at Elland Road, becomes Leeds’ ninth new addition since their promotion from the Championship.

“Playing in the Premier League has been a dream of mine since I was a kid,” Okafor said after sealing the move. “It feels like the perfect league for my style of football, so the decision was easy. I’ve always heard how intense and competitive it is, now I can’t wait to be part of it.”

From Switzerland to Yorkshire

Okafor began his career at Basel before moving to RB Salzburg, later joining Milan in 2023. He managed seven goals in 54 appearances for the Rossoneri, though most of his outings came from the bench. He spent the second half of last season on loan at Napoli, making four substitute appearances.

Despite not being a consistent starter in Italy, the versatile forward showed promise with 25 goals in 71 league games during his time in Switzerland. Data from Opta reveals he has split his playing time between the left wing (47%) and central striker role (41%), often staying high and wide. Known for his pace and directness, he averaged 4.2 dribbles per 90 minutes last season, though his success rate fell below 50%.

At 6ft 1in, Okafor also fits Leeds’ physical recruitment profile this summer, all nine of their signings stand at least 5ft 11in tall, with seven over six feet.

Record-breaking summer window

Okafor’s arrival also underlines the unprecedented scale of Premier League spending. The previous record of £2.36bn, set in 2023, has already been eclipsed with 10 days still to run in the window.

Among the standout deals:

Liverpool paid £100m up front for Florian Wirtz, with a further £16m in potential add-ons, a fee that could set a new British transfer record.

Brentford smashed their own ceiling with a move worth up to £42.5m for Dango Ouattara from Bournemouth.

Bournemouth themselves spent £34.6m on French defender Bafodé Diakité.

Burnley and Sunderland also broke their transfer records, investing £25m and £26m respectively on Lesley Ugochukwu and Habib Diarra.

Nottingham Forest raised the bar twice in the same summer, bringing in Swiss winger Dan Ndoye and then Omari Hutchinson for £37.5m from Ipswich.

With more than a week left before deadline day, spending is set to climb even further, cementing this as the most expensive transfer window in Premier League history.