Fulham pullout ends Leeds bid for Wilson on deadline day

Leeds United’s hopes of adding late attacking reinforcements on transfer deadline day collapsed after Fulham pulled out of a deal to sell winger Harry Wilson, leaving manager Daniel Farke’s side to head into the season’s first international break without the creative addition they had sought. The collapse capped a summer in which Leeds signed 10 players for roughly 100 million but repeatedly missed targets in the final hours of the window.

Club officials and multiple reports said Leeds had engaged in protracted talks for Wilson, met Fulham’s asking price over the weekend and even signed their portion of a deal sheet. Leeds and the player were understood to have completed paperwork that would have given both clubs extra time to finalise the transfer, but Fulham withdrew their support minutes before the 7pm deadline. Accounts vary on the precise mechanics: some reports say Fulham sought to renegotiate terms on deadline day and then rescinded their agreement, while others say Fulham simply did not file their portion of the deal sheet. Leeds sources described the outcome as deeply frustrating.

The failed Wilson move followed other high-profile near-misses. Leeds had been tracking...