Leeds chief shares update on talks over extending loan deals and triggering permanent options
Angus Kinnear has revealed that Leeds United director of football Victor Orta has made progress in his efforts to extend loan deals and trigger permanent options.
Leeds have a number of players on loan at Elland Road but their temporary deals are due to expire next month and the season is likely to run well into July once it resumes.
Ben White, Jack Harrison, Illan Meslier, Jean-Kevin Augustin and Helder Costa are all of the loanees in Marcelo Bielsa’s squad but it has already been pre-agreed that Costa’s transfer from Wolves will be made permanent.
That means there are still some question marks over the other loanees but Kinnear has shared an encouraging update, saying that Orta has found that most parent clubs have been willing to agree loan extensions.
“Off the pitch, Victor has turned his focus away from his lockdown pogonotrophy to managing the, previously unlegislated for, issues around extending loan player contracts and retaining options for permanent signings beyond their original expiry date,” Kinnear wrote on the Yorkshire Evening Post website.
“Currently we are finding that the majority of clubs are working to the spirit of the game and not seeking to unscrupulously profit from the pandemic.”
It is worth pointing out that Kinnear only said that the “majority” of clubs have been easy to deal with in these unprecedented times, which suggests there might be one who are playing hardball over their loan star.
It remains to be seen which player the Whites are having a hard time securing a loan extension for but the chances are it is White.
Manchester City are bound to be happy with Harrison’s loan spell at Leeds and won’t use him in the Premier League once that restarts. The French league has finished so Lorient have no use for Meslier. The Whites have an option to sign Augustin from RB Leipzig and Costa’s going to become a full-time Leeds player in the near future no matter what.
White has been outstanding this season and Brighton are struggling in the Premier League.
If anyone is going to be hard to deal with, it’s bound to be them.
In other Leeds United news, have the Whites been ripped off with this pre-agreed transfer?