Leeds United make major saving on club-record Georginio Rutter fee after Brighton exit
Leeds United are not expected to pay any of the add-ons from Georginio Rutter’s original move to Elland Road after his exit to Brighton, according to The Athletic.
Andy Naylor reported via the outlet’s website on 19 August as the forward’s move to the Amex was sealed that the £10million in additional fees that were part of the 22-year-old’s purchase from Hoffenheim won’t be met.
Rutter arrived in January 2023 in what was expected to be a club-record deal worth £35.5million [Sky Sports], but the latest developments reportedly mean the signing will have only cost around £25million.
The Athletic’s Nancy Froston also reported on 19 August that no sell-on fee was to be paid to Hoffenheim, saving as much as £5.9million more.
Leeds United save £10million on Hoffenheim transfer fee
Saving more than £15million that it appeared the club would need to fork out at some point is a bonus, and means the £40m sale price represents a reasonable profit.
Rutter is probably still just about the Whites’ record signing over Brenden Aaronson’s £24.7m arrival from Red Bull Salzburg two years ago [Sky Sports].
But it arguably only makes up for the Crysencio Summerville sale where a similar dynamic worked against the Whites and he went for closer to £25m [The Athletic, 5 August] when a £40m asking price had been reported just days previously [talkSPORT, 30 June].
And ultimately it won’t be much of a positive in the immediate term if Daniel Farke doesn’t get the replacements he wants in before the deadline.
The German must take some criticism for the fact that his Whites team have failed to win any of their opening three matches in all competitions.
But he has seen his squad weakened significantly from last season with the exits of star performers who have only partially been replaced.
Rutter, Summerville and Archie Gray have all been sold for big fees, even if they aren’t as big as some might have hoped, and a decent amount must surely now be spent on replacing their collective impact.
In other Leeds United news, the 49ers have identified a back-up signing if their move for the top target now fails.
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