According to The Athletic, Brighton and Hove Albion have triggered the release clause in Frenchman Georginio Rutter’s contract. The clause is said to be at £40 million and the ball is in Rutter’s court now.
This comes in as a big shocker for The Whites as they’ve already lost many key players this summer. Crysencio Summerville, Glen Kamara and Archie Gray might be followed by Rutter.
The Seagulls had bid for the Frenchman two times before. Once they bid a £29 million offer and the next time it was at £35 million – both offers were rejected by The 49ers.
Georginio Rutter has been one of the key players in Farke’s squad, especially after the departure of Summerville. He started the game against Portsmouth where he displayed his brilliance and creativity.
The 22-year-old was even good in the pre-season campaign as he was expected to take the helm if a Summerville replacement never arrived. There has been no Summerville replacement and another major departure will be a tough one for The West Yorkshire outfit.
The club has struggled to replace a lot of players this season. Manager Farke claimed that they’ll need at least three new players before the summer window closes.
A winger, midfielder and a full-back are the current necessities at Elland Road with none of them yet being completed. Another departure will add to the painful list of players for replacement.
Navigating the future as Leeds United face potential Georginio Rutter departure
Credits: Imago Images
As mentioned above, the decision is now in Rutter’s hands. Brighton have done their side of the business and now all the eyes are on the player.
Whether he’ll stay or leave is to be seen but one thing is for sure United have a lot of work to do with or without him. His departure will only add to the work which is to be done in under two weeks.
As the transfer deadline day approaches, The Whites need to push their engines to sign the required players. Daniel Farke has said himself that the current squad isn’t a finished product yet.
Jonathan Rowe remains the top priority to replace Crysencio Summerville. The club is preparing a new improved offer for the youngster in the coming weeks.
The midfield however is being surrounded by a lot of buzz. The 49ers have been linked with four different midfielders throughout the window.
Jordan James, Dejan Ljubičić, Bobby Clark and now Mandela Keita remain the top contenders in the middle of the park. The Whites lost the Hugo Bueno race but are now eyeing Liverpool full-back Owen Beck.
Rutter’s departure will only add to these pending transfers. If Leeds United want to get promoted this season, they’ll need to work double time this coming two weeks.
