Leeds United reportedly want to sign Bayern Munich goalkeeper Alexander Nubel this summer on a permanent transfer.
What’s the latest Leeds transfer news?
The Whites and new manager Daniel Farke are currently preparing for the Championship season but are yet to make any senior signings in the transfer market. A number of payers have left Elland Road, either on loan or on a permanent basis, with a takeover involving the 49ers Enterprises still awaiting the EFL green light.
There has been plenty of speculation over new signings, though, with Phil Hay stating that a new goalkeeper, left-back, centre-back, midfielder and forward could be on the agenda in Yorkshire over the coming weeks. One player who could now be targeted in goal appears to be Nubel, with Leeds being named in a recent update.
According to reliable German outlet Bild in the last 48 hours, Nubel doesn’t see his future at the Allianz Arena and seemingly has two options on the table.
The report claims that fellow Bundesliga side VfB Stuttgart are looking to loan the goalkeeper, whereas Leeds are interested in a permanent transfer, with Bayern Munich leaning towards a permanent sale. It is believed that a decision could be made regarding Nubel’s future by Monday.
Leeds’ current first-choice goalkeeper has been Illan Meslier, however, Hay believes the club will sell the Frenchman this summer.
Who is Alexander Nubel?
Nubel is 26 years of age and is under contract with Bayern Munich until 2025. The German began his career on the books of SC Paderborn before joining FC Schalke in 2015. Nubel made 53 appearances for the club and signed for Bayern in 2020 on a free transfer.
However, he has featured on just four occasions for his current employers and spent the last two seasons on loan with AS Monaco, where he turned out on 97 occasions in all competitions.
Klaus Thomforde, Germany's U21 goalkeeper coach, once labelled Nubel as an “incredibly talented goalkeeper” who has “extraordinary footballing ability”.
"You can only speak highly of Alex – he's an incredibly talented goalkeeper, with the world at his feet. He's got an extraordinary footballing ability, but he's also very down to earth and is a great lad."
Meanwhile, Eric Kroll, Nubel’s former teammate at Paderborn, has previously hailed the goalkeeper's ability with the ball at his feet.
"Alex was always better with his feet than many of our outfield players – when you had Alex on your team, that was half the job done – you knew you could always pass the ball to him. I can imagine seeing him as Germany number one in future."
As per FBref, Nubel ranks in the top 10% of goalkeepers for saves over the past 12 months (90th percentile), compared to Meslier who sits in the top 62% (38th percentile).
Nubel also holds a better pass completion percentage than the Leeds man and has conceded fewer goals, so it looks as if he could be a sensible option for the Whites to replace Meslier, and by the looks of things, a move could be one to keep an eye on over the coming days.
