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Leeds United likely to have obligation to sign Weston McKennie from Juventus as deal details emerge
Weston McKennie’s loan move to Leeds United can “easily” switch from a permanent option to an obligation, according to Calcio Mercato.
A deal was struck on Saturday (28 January) for the 24-year-old to move to the Premier League for an initial €1.2million loan fee [£1.05million], with an option to buy him for €33million [£30million] at the end of the season [Fabrizio Romano].
But Juventus are apparently much calmer about their deal to send the American midfielder to Elland Road than they are with similar deals with Chelsea and Liverpool for Denis Zakaria and Arthur Melo respectively, because the Whites are likely to end up obligated to pay the final fee.
There is seen as a real danger that the other pair end up back in Turin at the end of the season, but the conditions contained in the McKennie agreement “can easily occur”.
The Serie A giants need cash in the wake of their big points deduction, so they don’t want players back in June, but the “set objectives” that will prevent that happening with McKennie appear likely to keep him in West Yorkshire.
Long-term
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As long as he is a success over the second half of the season there won’t be many complaints about this news among Leeds United fans.
It has proved to be a significant transfer window as the early signing of Max Wober was followed up by a club-record deal for Georginio Rutter, yet still there is now an imminent third quality signing.
It will be close to the record fee once again if McKennie ends up as a permanent signing so the investment over this season end up being heavy.
The summer spend was deceptive in that it was almost entirely covered by the sales of Kalvin Phillips and Raphinha, but the January window has changed that.
If the two, and soon to be three, new arrivals can have a big impact over the second half of the year it will be well worth it, considering a relegation battle is currently a concern.
Wober transformed the defence against Brentford last week (22 January), and Rutter looked dynamic in the FA Cup win over Accrington Stanley on Saturday (28 January), so McKennie next to his USMNT captain Tyler Adams as well gives the side a strong look for the rest of the campaign.
In other Leeds United news, a Premier League rival has made an approach to sign a Whites target before the end of the month when he had seemed to be heading for Elland Road in the near future.