Muharemovic joined Sassuolo on loan in August 2024, scored on his first start, made 30 appearances during the Serie B title campaign and remained permanently. He then established himself in Serie A before Leeds United signed him in July 2026.
Dates, appearance totals, title, promotion, contract extension and performance milestones are based on official Sassuolo, Juventus and Leeds United reporting.
The opportunity
A loan built around regular senior football
Sassuolo signed Tarik Muharemovic on loan from Juventus on 28 August 2024. The move placed him in a club that had just dropped from Serie A and expected to challenge immediately for promotion. That context mattered. He was not joining a team prepared to wait passively for young players to develop; every result carried pressure. Fabio Grosso’s squad needed defenders who could handle possession, defend transitions and contribute to a season in which opponents would often treat Sassuolo as the team to beat.
For Muharemovic, the loan solved the central question left by his Juventus Next Gen years. He had learned professional football in Serie C and earned senior international recognition, but he needed a consistent role at a higher level. Serie B offered physical matches, tactical variety and a demanding schedule. The move also kept him inside Italian football, allowing him to apply the defensive education gained in Turin without adapting to a completely new football culture.
Immediate impact
Debut at Cosenza and a goal on his first start
Muharemovic made his Sassuolo debut away to Cosenza on 21 September 2024, entering from the bench. Only a few days later, he started in the Coppa Italia against Lecce and produced a memorable first impression. Sassuolo won 2–0 at the Via del Mare, and Muharemovic scored the opening goal. It was his first goal for the club and came in his first start, turning an early opportunity into a clear statement that he could contribute at both ends of the pitch.
Scoring helped attract attention, but the larger importance was the trust earned through the performance. A loan player must quickly convince a coach that he understands the team’s structure and can be relied upon when selection changes. Muharemovic’s height made him a threat at set pieces, while his left foot and composure suited Sassuolo’s preference for building play. The Lecce match gave him momentum and a place from which to compete for regular league minutes.
Winning a role
From rotation option to trusted starter
By the end of November 2024, Juventus’ official loan review noted that Muharemovic had quickly entered Fabio Grosso’s rotation and was accumulating more minutes. The report highlighted his start in the 2–0 derby win over Reggiana, a match in which he recorded eight clearances, won eight of ten duels and was not dribbled past. Those details show why he became trusted. He was not selected only for potential; he was affecting matches through concrete defensive actions.
The progression required consistency. Promotion campaigns are rarely smooth, and a central defender must maintain concentration against teams using very different approaches. Some opponents allowed Sassuolo to dominate the ball, placing responsibility on the defenders to circulate possession and protect against counterattacks. Others played directly, testing aerial strength and second-ball reactions. Muharemovic’s physical profile and growing tactical maturity allowed him to handle both types of match.
First league goal
Adding another dimension in Serie B
Muharemovic later scored his first Serie B goal during the 2024/25 campaign. The goal reinforced his usefulness at set pieces and showed that the Coppa Italia finish at Lecce had not been an isolated moment. For a promotion-chasing team, goals from defenders can decide tight matches and reduce the burden on attacking players. His aerial reach forced opponents to account for him whenever Sassuolo sent a delivery into the area.
More importantly, the season was establishing him as a complete senior defender. He was learning how to maintain a high defensive line, how to protect space when Sassuolo committed players forward and how to remain patient when the team controlled long periods of possession. Serie B provided more responsibility than the Next Gen environment because the objective was collective and immediate: return the club to Serie A at the first attempt.
Promotion
A decisive role in the return to Serie A
Sassuolo secured promotion with Muharemovic playing ninety minutes in the decisive 3–1 victory over Modena. Juventus’ official review later described him as one of the prominent loan players in the promotion campaign. He also provided an assist in a 2–0 win over Cesena during the closing period of the season. These moments reflected a player contributing not only through defensive volume but through actions that moved the team toward its objective.
The title completed a major transformation. Twelve months earlier, Muharemovic was a Juventus Next Gen defender seeking a higher senior platform. By the end of the 2024/25 season, he had made 30 appearances in all competitions and helped a major Serie B club win the division. Promotion is a collective achievement, but it also changes how an individual is evaluated. He had proven that he could handle pressure across a full campaign and remain part of a winning team.
A permanent home
Sassuolo invest in the next stage
After the promotion season, Muharemovic’s move became permanent. The decision showed that Sassuolo viewed him as more than a successful loan. He had become part of the club’s top-flight plan. Returning to Serie A required stronger defending, faster decisions and greater punishment for mistakes. Sassuolo needed players capable of growing with the level, and Muharemovic had already shown that he could adapt quickly when responsibility increased.
In October 2025, Sassuolo extended his contract until June 2031. The club noted his 30 appearances in the promotion season, his first goal on his first start and two MVP awards in his first six Serie A appearances. Muharemovic described Sassuolo as home and said it was the place where he had taken the most important step of his career. The extension reflected mutual confidence at a moment when his profile was rising rapidly.
Serie A breakthrough
Defensive volume at the highest Italian level
Sassuolo’s return to Serie A placed Muharemovic against some of the best forwards in Europe. He responded with immediate impact. The club reported that he won two MVP awards in only six league appearances, while early-season statistics showed him leading Sassuolo in ball recoveries. By January 2026, Juventus’ official match preview identified him as Sassuolo’s leader for clearances, blocked shots and interceptions in the league at that point.
Those numbers matched the visual impression of a defender willing to attack danger. Clearances and blocks are sometimes treated as simple actions, but producing them consistently requires positioning and anticipation. Muharemovic had to recognise where a cross would arrive, step in front of runners and protect the goal when the team was forced deeper. His aerial ability remained a strength, while his left-footed passing allowed Sassuolo to build attacks without sacrificing defensive balance.
A complete season
Eleventh place, goals and international recognition
Leeds United’s official announcement records that Sassuolo finished eleventh in the 2025/26 Serie A season and that Muharemovic made 33 appearances in all competitions, scoring two headed goals. The club also highlighted his ranking among the league’s leading players for clearances and his success in aerial duels. This was the season that moved him from promising defender to established top-flight performer.
His club form developed alongside his international career. Muharemovic played a central role for Bosnia and Herzegovina through qualification, playoffs and the 2026 World Cup. The combination was important for his reputation. Scouts could evaluate him in Serie A across a long season and in international matches under different tactical demands. By summer 2026, he had built a body of work that supported a move to the Premier League rather than a transfer based only on potential.
The Leeds transfer
Leaving after the career-defining breakthrough
Leeds United completed the permanent signing of Muharemovic on 17 July 2026, giving him a five-year contract. The move ended a two-season Sassuolo chapter that had included almost every type of positive progression: a loan opportunity, an immediate goal, a regular role, a league title, promotion, a permanent transfer, a long contract extension and a standout Serie A campaign. Few periods in a player’s career contain so many clear milestones.
Sassuolo remained the place where Muharemovic said he felt at home and made the most important step of his career. That statement explains the club’s role better than statistics alone. Juventus taught him; Sassuolo trusted him. The trust allowed him to make mistakes, grow through matches and become a defender ready for England. When he left for Leeds, he did so as a Serie A and World Cup performer rather than as a prospect waiting for senior confirmation.