Having already lost Glen Kamara, Crysencio Summerville and Archie Gray this summer, Leeds United are reportedly preparing a last-ditch attempt to keep hold of Georginio Rutter this month.
Leeds transfer news
It's certainly been a rough few weeks for those at Elland Road. Since losing Summerville to West Ham United, the Whites have opened their Championship campaign with a 3-3 draw against newly-promoted Portsmouth before being dumped out of the Carabao Cup by Middlesbrough. Now, to make matters worse, Daniel Farke could lose yet another star player.
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The Whites have seemingly turned their attention elsewhere.
ByTom CunninghamAug 15, 2024
If Leeds weren't feeling the impact of defeat in the playoff final against Southampton and losing out on a place in the Premier League as a result, then they certainly are now that the summer window is approaching its end. The latest to edge close to a move is attacking midfielder Rutter.
According to Sky Sports' Florian Plettenberg, the 22-year-old had agreed personal terms with Brighton & Hove Albion after they triggered his £40m release clause. A fresh twist and fresh hope for Leeds has since emerged, however. According to Ben Jacobs, Leeds are "in the process" of offering Rutter a new contract in a last-ditch effort to keep hold of Farke's star man in "fast-moving" talks.
Those at Elland Road are reportedly "doing everything" to keep hold of Rutter, but it remains to be seen whether their pitch will be a convincing enough plea for the Frenchman to turn down the temptation of the Premier League and Brighton.
Of course, we recently saw Martin Zubimendi drastically change his mind and stay at Real Sociedad, turning down Liverpool after orginally agreeing to move, which hands Leeds a glimmer of hope that they could make the same last minute new contract play as the Basque club.
Leeds cannot afford to lose Rutter's creativity
Rutter, like Zubimendi with Liverpool, has reportedly said yes to Brighton. But that doesn't mean a deal is sealed, as the Reds found out the hard way. In the end, it was Sociedad's presentation which seemingly convinced their academy graduate to stay put, with negotiations over a new contract also underway.
Whether Leeds to decide put together a similar sales pitch of all things Elland Road is yet to emerge, but the fact that they're reportedly set to offer Rutter a new deal suggests that this saga is far from over for a player who is crucial to the Whites' hopes of promotion.
Even as those in Yorkshire eventually failed to seal their place in the Premier League, the Frenchman enjoyed an excellent campaign, scoring eight goals and assisting a staggering 16 in all competitions to finally make his mark at Elland Road. Justifying his £40m release clause, Leeds will be looking back on that clause as a major regret if the attacking midfielder does depart this month.
This one is certainly far from over. It's now up to Rutter whether he follows Summerville's path or that of Sociedad's Zubimendi in the remainder of the summer transfer window.
