Leeds have hit gold with "explosive" star who's worth more than Louie Barry

The January transfer window is still open for business for another couple of weeks and Leeds United are yet to make their signing of the month.

Daniel Farke’s side are top of the Championship table as it stands, after their 3-0 win over Sheffield Wednesday at Elland Road last time out, and may not be in desperate need of reinforcements.

Despite their strong position in the second tier, the Whites have been linked with an interest in Aston Villa forward Louie Barry this month, after he spent the first half of the season on loan with Stockport County in League One.

Leeds are reportedly keen on a loan deal for the English youngster, formerly of Barcelona, and it remains to be seen whether or not they will be able to get a deal over the line.

Louie Barry’s current market value

Barry is currently valued at €1.8m (£1.5m) by Transfermarkt and that low valuation may be because the youngster is yet to prove himself in either of the top two tiers in England.

The 21-year-old starlet was playing on loan in League Two with Stockport in the second half of the 2023/24 campaign, scoring nine goals in 17 starts, before catching the eye in League One this term.

He racked up an eye-catching 15 goals in 23 matches in the third tier of English football in the first half of this season, before being recalled by Villa this month.

Barry has yet to prove himself at Championship level, though, and it would be a gamble for Leeds to make a move to bring him to Elland Road, as he may not be able to make the step up.

Instead, Farke and Leeds could focus on a left winger who has showcased his ability in the second tier – Largie Ramazani – and look to develop him in the coming months.

Leeds have hit gold with Largie Ramazani

The Whites signed the Belgian forward from Almeria in the summer and he was valued at €5m (£4.2m) by Transfermarkt at the time of the move.

Ramazani, who was once described as an “explosive” player by talent scout Jacek Kulig, has caught the eye in the Championship either side of an ankle injury that caused him to miss five games between October and November.

The 23-year-old left winger racked up three goals and one assist in six league starts for Leeds before that injury absence, and has scored two goals and provided one assist in his last two games in all competitions.

This means that Ramazani has scored five goals and registered two assists in eight starts in all competitions for the Whites, which speaks to the level of quality he has the ability to provide in the final third when fit and firing.

At the time of writing (21/01/2025), Transfermarkt currently values him at €7.5m (£6.3m) and this shows that his value has soared during his time at Elland Road so far, and that he is already way more valuable than Barry.

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Leeds United have reportedly made a move to sign the centre-forward this month.

Therefore, Leeds may be better off continuing to develop and utilise Ramazani’s skills on the left wing, rather than loaning in Barry to develop him for Villa in the future, as they have already hit gold with the Belgian marksman.