George Overhill

Mon 24 April 2023 19:50, UK

Leeds United are not obligated to sign loanee Weston McKennie amid the American’s major drop in form, according to BBC reporter Adam Pope.

Since the 24-year-old arrived late in the January transfer window the status of the deal has been a source of much debate, with the view from the Italian side heavily skewed towards Premier League survival making a permanent move a virtual foregone conclusion [Gazzetta dello Sport, 26 March].

It has been far less certain in English reports [90min, 22 March], and with McKennie currently not exhibiting form that would warrant anything like the fee in excess of £30million he is available for, at the same time as the ongoing saga around Jean-Kevin Augustin’s aborted move has bitten Leeds once more, the prospect of a similar situation as arisen.

But speaking on BBC Sport podcast Don’t Go To Bed Just Yet (24 April, 11m 30s) Pope said in the wake of the 2-1 defeat at Fulham: “There’s no obligation is there.”

Jonny Buchan added, with a knowing nod to the Augustin saga: “We know there’s no obligation, we’ve had this situation in the past, so just checking Popey.”

Pope replied: “Yeah, funnily enough we were asking the question when we were sat, having a pint in Fulham with Beren [Cross] from Leeds Live, we were thinking, ‘They’re not obliged to pay are they?’

“So unless there’s some deal that’s gone off in the background… but as far as I know it’s not an obligation.”

Safe

If McKennie and Marc Roca continue to be as ineffective in central midfield as they have been across the previous three defeats, and Javi Gracia keeps sending them out in a two all the same, it won’t matter what the terms of the permanent deal were because Leeds United will go down.

The Whites are just about staying in with a chance of safety because other teams have been as bad over the past few weeks, so if they scrape to safety like they did last year there could be a very expensive problem on the cards.

If it is as simple as there being no obligation then it seems highly likely that McKennie will be following Denis Zakaria and Arthur back to Turin from the Premier League.

As recently as the Nottingham Forest win (4 April) it looked like the club might have brought in a player who could be a valuable asset going forward, but the American’s form has dropped off a cliff at the worst moment, along with too many of his teammates.

It doesn’t make him a bad player, but it would be madness to spend a huge fee on someone who hasn’t proven to suit whatever it is Leeds are doing at the moment.

Suggestions in Italy that the obligation is matter of the Whites having promised to sign him without anything in writing leave the door open for some uncomfortable wrangling.

And with the Augustin issue currently set to cost £40million in total after the most recent FIFA ruling, the club could gain an unfavourable reputation as unreliable in transfer dealings that would be difficult to shake.

In other Leeds United news, Willy Gnonto’s Elland Road exit is as good as sealed after what has happened at the club.