Leeds United target Alexandru Maxim signs for FSV Mainz 05

After Leeds United held talks with Maxim’s agent, and the player being heavily linked with the Whites, Alexandru Maxim has decided to sign for Bundesliga club FSV Mainz on a contract running until 2021. The fee for Maxim is believed to be around €3 million with additional add ons as well. With Maxim signing for Mainz 05, not only did they get a real #10, but it is clear that Maxim’s intent for this season was to play top flight football somewhere.

Mainz sporting director Rouven Schroeder said: “Alexandru Maxim is still a creative classic #10.”

Mainz just barely survived a relegation campaign last season, where they remained up only by goal differential. Maxim helped VfB Stuttgart gain promotion back into the Bundesliga for this season, but his desires are to play for a team who hopefully can avoid the drop.

This is sad news, most notably because Leeds and Maxim have been in advanced talks for awhile now, and it seemed as though all that needed to be done was to agree on a contract.

But with Leeds missing the Championship play-offs last season after a late collapse, (insert crying emoji here) it seems likely that Alexandru Maxim did not want to play in a 2nd tier league for another season.

The Romanian international has insane skills, and he is just an overall great #10. I expect him to flourish at Mainz, and I think with him, they can crack into the top half of the Bundesliga table in this upcoming campaign.

Last season with Stuttgart, Maxim made 29 total appearances and tallied 5 goals. He was no doubt a key player for the former Bundesliga 2 side, and he knew that if he wants to accomplish big things as a player, he would need to join a club that has the potential of being big.

Why do you think Maxim ultimately chose Mainz? Do you think Leeds should’ve done more to attract the likes of Maxim? Let me know down in the comments!