Leeds United transfer restriction highlighted as Whites sanction fifth loan exit this month - YEP 17/7/23

Leeds United can only loan out a maximum of seven players aged 21-or-over this summer due to restrictions enforced by football’s governing body FIFA.

By Joe Donnohue

The Whites bid farewell to Marc Roca – at least for the 2023/24 campaign – over the weekend as the midfielder jetted into Aeropuerto de Sevilla in southern Spain, agreeing a season-long loan switch with Real Betis.

Announced on Monday morning, it marked the fifth player to leave Elland Road on loan this month after Robin Koch, Brenden Aaronson, Diego Llorente and Rasmus Kristensen all sealed outgoing loan moves to clubs across Europe.

Roca’s Betis switch means Leeds will only be permitted to sanction two more international loans for senior players this summer, per FIFA transfer restrictions.

Outlined on FIFA’s website, the restrictions are as follows: ‘From 1 July 2023 to 30 June 2024, a club may have a maximum of seven professionals loaned out and seven loaned in at any given time during a season.’

Players aged 21-and-younger, as well as club-trained individuals are exempt from such restrictions, meaning youngsters hopeful of a temporary move in search of regular game-time further down the football league pyramid, for example, will not be bound by the loans legislation.

What it does mean, however, is that further Elland Road departures this summer are likely to come in the form of permanent exits.

There are several remaining first-team squad members at Thorp Arch who have been linked with moves away, including Tyler Adams, Crysencio Summerville, Max Wober, Luis Sinisterra and Jack Harrison. Hypothetically, only two of the aforementioned five would be allowed to leave on loan.

Willy Gnonto’s case differs insofar as he is 19 years old and therefore exempt from FIFA’s ruling, which was brought in during 2022 to ‘develop young players, promote competitive balance and prevent the hoarding of players’.

Jamie Shackleton is another who would be exempt despite being over-21, due to his club-trained status at Leeds.

United’s 2023/24 campaign kicks off in just under three weeks’ time at home to Cardiff City as the team return to the Championship after three seasons in the Premier League.