Report: Leeds in talks to sign £4m-rated no.10 from top-tier side, 8 assists in 20-21

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Football journalist Mohamed Toubache-Ter claims – as per GFFN – that Leeds United are in talks to sign Metz no.10 Farid Boulaya. The France-born Algeria international sparkled for Metz last season, but is in the final year of his contract. Leeds are said to be in talks to sign the playmaker.

Boulaya, 28, was excellent for his club last season as Metz finished way above pre-season expectation – in a lofty tenth place. The attacker was pivotal to that, playing 33 of Metz’s 38 Ligue 1 games – having a hand in 14 goals. The four-time Algeria ace scored six goals, and laid on eight more.

A report from Toubache-Ter as per GFFN says Leeds are in talks to nab him. Boulaya is keen on joining a club in European football – something which Leeds do not offer. Leeds are not alone in the £4million chase, though. It is said that very strong clubs from Italy and Spain are also in the mix.

Boulaya a bargain at £4m for Leeds

The easiest comparison is to see how Raphinha did before joining Leeds. The Brazilian scored five and created three more in 22 Ligue 1 games during 2019-20 – before moving to Leeds. That is four goal involvements every 11 league games. A goal or an assist every 2.75 games.

For Metz, who are certainly not as strong as Rennes – Raphinha’s old side – Boulaya has bettered that. His 14 in 33 sees him average a goal or an assist every 2.35 games – a whole lot more often than Raphinha. We all know just how good Raphinha has been. £4million for Boulaya, then, is a bargain.

Raphinha of course did score six and create nine in 30 Premier League games in 2020-21, similar to that of Boulaya in 2020-21.