Daniel James has completed his move to Leeds United, joining them on a five-year contract, with Manchester United receiving £25 million for him.
Leeds United have made an official statement to confirm that they have secured the services of Daniel James on a five-year contract. The Whites have paid Manchester United £25 million to sign their long-term target, finally landing the Welshman after missing out on him two years ago.
Daniel James is bringing an end to a two-year stint with Manchester United, having joined the Red Devils in the summer of 2019 from Swansea City. Over the last two years, the 23-year-old had been a handy squad option for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, although his stock did fall after a strong start to his stint.
The advent of Mason Greenwood directly coincided with his reduction in James’ role, with the Welsh international being deemed to be surplus to requirements following the return of Cristiano Ronaldo. With his fate at Manchester United sealed, it hardly came as a surprise that Leeds United emerged in his pursuit.
The Whites had been eager to sign James from Swansea much before Manchester United even had an interest in him. However, the move was scuppered in the dying embers, with James staying on at Swansea for the second half of the 2018/19 season before eventually joining Manchester United.
? The call has been answered! pic.twitter.com/u9j9YG5FUT
— Leeds United (@LUFC) August 31, 2021
Leeds finally sensed their opportunity ahead of Deadline Day, and their continued interest has made a lot of sense as well. That is because Helder Costa has hardly made an impression since the west Yorkshire club’s promotion to the Premier League, meaning Raphinha and Jack Harrison had the bulk of the creative burden on them on the flanks.
That is now going to change, with Leeds signing James on a five-year contract, with Manchester United receiving £25 million for him, as per BBC. Upon the completion of the move, Director of Football Victor Orta appeared to be quite delighted.
“I have to say a huge thank you to my team firstly – the football department have been monitoring Daniel for a number of years and every member of my team has worked hard to get this deal over the line.”
“It is no secret that Daniel is a player we have been keen to acquire for a number of years and today we achieved our goal. As a player we feel Daniel is an excellent fit for a Marcelo Bielsa team, he is quick, direct and works hard – we look forward to him joining up with the squad, finally!”
Leeds United did stave off some competition to sign James, with reports even suggesting that Everton were plotting a late hijack to swoop him away from Manchester United. However, the 23-year-old is now finally a Leeds player, and it will be interesting to see how he fares at Elland Road.
