Leeds United's self-inflicted £5 million penalty revealed as transfer 'loss' comes with hidden upside — YEP 20/6/24
By Joe Donnohue
Leeds United do not expect to make a loss on midfielder Marc
Roca’s sale to Real Betis, despite reportedly accepting a £5 million reduction
on the initial fee paid for the ex-Bayern Munich midfielder.
Reports in Spain claim Leeds United have been negotiated
down to a transfer fee worth 'less than £4.3 million' in Marc Roca's permanent
switch to Real Betis.
Spanish outlet Estadio Deportivo claim Real Betis chiefs are
pleased with negotiations for central midfielder Roca as they have been able to
talk Leeds down from their initial asking price of £10 million this summer.
Had the Whites been promoted back to the Premier League,
Roca's asking price is likely to have remained the same which may have
complicated matters regarding his return to Seville after spending the season
on loan there last term.
However, Leeds remaining in the second tier of English
football meant the LaLiga club had the option to extend Roca's loan by a
further season, or buy the 27-year-old permanently at a knock-down price.
The Spanish side have opted for the latter, which Leeds are
all too willing to entertain given it releases funds in the form of Roca's
wages. But, Spanish reports suggest the final fee for the midfielder will come
to less than 5 million Euros.
Roca signed for Leeds two summers ago in a £10 million deal
from FC Bayern Munich in Germany but endured middling form in his one and only
season in England, subsequently joining Los Verdiblancos after exercising a
relegation loan release clause in his United contract following relegation.
Leeds were initially keen to recoup the majority of their
investment in the former Under-21 European champion given his age profile and
top flight experience, but found their negotiating position weakened by failure
to win promotion.
Still unconfirmed, Roca's exit is expected to be
rubberstamped in the coming days, calling time on a largely unsuccessful spell
at Elland Road once-and-for-all.
If the purported fee is true, it will represent a £5 million
deficit from Leeds' original investment, although the loss reported in United's
accounts next year will reflect a smaller financial hit - if at all. This is
due to Roca's present book value of £5 million with two years remaining on his
four-year Leeds contract, given half of the initial fee has already been
amortised.
Selling below said book value would see Leeds report a loss
on the player which in the grand scheme of things, will not be too difficult
for the club to swallow as opposed to a more substantial figure. But, due to
the reported sale price matching Roca’s book value, in terms of Profitability
and Sustainability (P&S), the cost of the sale evens out.
Leeds sources also say that while the fee is undisclosed,
they will not make a loss when it comes to P&S.
