Georginio Rutter transfer: Brighton activate Leeds forward's £40m release clause — Sky 15/8/24

-

Georginio Rutter scored eight goals and assisted 16 in 51 appearances for Leeds last season; no other club can activate the release clause after Brighton beat the 12am deadline on Thursday morning; Head coach Daniel Farke expects Rutter's move to be confirmed imminently

By Sky Sports News senior reporter Tim Thornton

Brighton have activated a £40m release clause in Leeds forward Georginio Rutter's contract.

No other club can activate the clause after the deadline expired overnight (12am Thursday), so Rutter will either go to Brighton or remain at Elland Road.

Head coach Daniel Farke said that he expects Rutter's move to be confirmed in the next 24 to 48 hours in a press conference on Thursday afternoon.

The player said his goodbyes to team-mates on Thursday morning.

Rutter has verbally agreed to join Brighton and a medical could follow in the next 48 hours.

Leeds signed Rutter in January of last year on a five-and-a-half-year contract from Hoffenheim for a club-record deal, which could rise to £35m.

Rutter played 28 minutes in Wednesday night's 3-0 Carabao Cup defeat against Middlesbrough at Elland Road.

The 22-year-old scored eight goals and assisted 16 in a total of 51 appearances last season as Leeds missed out on an immediate Premier League return after relegation.

Rutter's sale would become a record for a player in the Championship who has not just been relegated if it goes through. The current record sale out of the Championship remains Romeo Lavia from Southampton, after they were relegated in 2023, to Chelsea for £58m.

The Frenchman's departure would be another major loss for Leeds who have sold Archie Gray and Crysencio Summerville to Tottenham and West Ham respectively.

Rutter could become Brighton's sixth summer signing as new boss Fabian Hurzeler prepares for his first campaign in charge.

On Wednesday Brighton announced the signing of 20-year-old Brajan Gruda from Bundesliga side Mainz in a £25m deal.

Gruda joined Yankuba Minteh, Mats Wieffer, Ibrahim Osman, Malick Junior Yalcouyé and Amario Cozier-Duberry on the south coast.

On Gruda, Hurzeler said: "I'm really pleased to get the opportunity to work with Brajan. I saw the big impact he made last season in the Bundesliga and he's a player I admire a lot.

"The Premier League will be a different challenge but I'm looking forward to working with Brajan and helping to develop his big potential."

What would Rutter offer Brighton?

Sky Sports' Conor O'Neill:

Rutter played just 264 minutes of Premier League football after joining a struggling Leeds side in January 2023.

Since then, he has become a central creative force under Farke.

His 15 assists were the second highest in last season's Championship, and no player attempted more take-ons.

The heat map above shows a player who operates across the entire final third. The forward is also an effective presser, ranking sixth in final-third turnovers last season.

Much of his chance creation comes from long, central passes into the box. His shooting is varied, with the shot map below illustrating his tendency for speculative long-range efforts.

Rutter's creativity numbers were outstanding last season, but his finishing stats were less impressive. He failed to convert 18 big chances, the joint-second highest in the league.

Popular posts from this blog

The huge initial fee Leeds are set to receive for Crysencio Summerville’s move to West Ham — Leeds United News 31/7/24

-
Will Butcher West Ham United are closing in on a deal to sign Crysencio Summerville from Leeds United, and Ben Jacobs has shared how much Leeds will receive for the Dutchman. The 22-year-old has been strongly linked with the Elland Road exit door all summer and was targeted as the one big sale Leeds needed to make before the Profit & Sustainability Rules deadline this month. But instead, Leeds sold Archie Gray for £40m to Tottenham. Leeds have since sold five more players in the form of Diego Llorente, Marc Roca, Kris Klaesson and Charlie Cresswell – raking in around £60m in total. But more exits were always likely and Fabrizio Romano reported on Wednesday afternoon that West Ham had agreed personal terms with Summerville, and talks for a fee were ongoing with the Yorkshire side. Now, the story has moved on with multiple sources claiming a deal is done between Leeds and Angus Kinnear’s old club. The Dutchman is expected to sign a five-year at the London Stadium, until Jun...
Read more

Leeds United board break silence after transfer window with statement on upcoming Elland Road development — YEP 2/9/24

-
By Joe Donnohue Leeds United have confirmed supporters' commemorative stones at Elland Road's Centenary Square will be replaced free of charge in a bid to improve their longevity. Beginning next month, Leeds supporters' personalised stones will be replaced with exact replicas, courtesy of a new company, to ensure of a 'much better quality' installation. The work is expected to take around two months to complete. An official club statement confirmed 'three larger stones dedicated to former managers Don Revie, Howard Wilkinson and Marcelo Bielsa' will also be installed, 'similar to those located in Bremner Square', while additional space for supporters to purchase new stones has also been factored into the project. “The club have taken on board recent feedback from supporters on the stones at Centenary Square, and we are really happy that we can now announce that all of the stones will be replaced," chief executive Angus Kinnear confirmed,...
Read more

Leeds United transfer state of play as Whites knock back low bid and assert wing pair stance — YEP 3/7/24

-
By Graham Smyth Leeds United are not actively looking to cash in on Crysencio Summerville and Willy Gnonto and believe any further outgoing transfer business will be done on their terms. The Whites, who sold Archie Gray to Tottenham Hotspur on Tuesday for £40m, expect that there will be continued interest in wing pair Summerville and Gnonto as the summer transfer window progresses. Summerville has been a target for Premier League side Brighton and Hove Albion but their interest has not yet materialised into a bid. The Albion did, however, send a £30m proposal for Georginio Rutter, which Elland Road chiefs rejected. Rutter is not expected to try and force an exit this summer and appears settled at Leeds after a far more positive second season in English football. The sale of Gray has helped put Leeds into a position where they do not need to sell star players and can dictate any moves that do happen. Club sources say they are not actively looking to sell the likes of Summerville o...
Read more