Graham Smyth makes 'very surprising' Leeds United exit admission amid £7m deal reports — YEP 6/3/25

By Kyle Newbould

Leeds United are thought to remain in talks over a summer sale.

YEP chief football writer Graham Smyth would be ‘very surprised’ to see Rasmus Kristensen join anyone but Eintracht Frankfurt this summer following reports surrounding the defender’s Leeds United exit.

Sky Germany’s Florian Plettenberg reported earlier this week that a deal had been ‘agreed in principle’ for Kristensen’s season-long loan to be made permanent, with the Bundesliga club to pay an initial €6million (£5m) fee with a further €2m (£1.6m) of possible add-ons. That amounts to little more than half of a roughly £12m purchase option that was pre-agreed upon the Dane’s temporary switch last summer.

Kristensen has become a regular starter at Eintracht, who themselves are competing for a Champions League spot next season, and several reports from Germany have pointed towards a permanent move throughout the campaign. The YEP’s understanding is Leeds remain in talks over the 27-year-old’s summer exit but Smyth believes it’s only a matter of time before that particular deal gets done.

Kristensen transfer latest

“It feels very likely it'll be Eintracht Frankfurt because you not only have a club there who want to keep him, you have a player who has probably found a home and wants to stay - and they’re doing very well for themselves in the Bundesliga,” he told the Inside Elland Road podcast. “I just think that one will happen. It would be very surprising, actually, if he went somewhere else at this stage. I think it’s probably just a case of drilling down into the numbers and then they'll find a number that fits.”

While a permanent switch to Eintracht seems likely, both they and Leeds will need to find a figure that satisfies both parties, with the belief being that talks are still ongoing. Given Kristensen’s initial five-year Whites contract has been amortised at roughly £2.15m per year, Elland Road chiefs would need to bring in around £4.5m in order to break even on their defender.

Eintracht's willingness to agree on an eight-figure purchase fee initially suggested that would happen but with multiple reports from Germany since talking down Kristensen’s price, there is an acceptance it will likely come down. And fellow YEP writer Joe Donnohue believes this most recent report is all part of negotiations.

Kristensen and Harrison developments

“I do just want to add a bit of context to the reports from Sky Germany reporter Florian Plettenberg,” Donnohue added. “Given there was a pre-agreed purchase option which is significantly greater than the £5m fee Sky Germany have reported, there could be a bit of gamesmanship on Eintracht’s part to maybe try to force the hand and get a bit more of a discounted deal. The purchase option was closer to what Leeds paid for Kristensen, which was £11m, so I can see why the Bundesliga club would be a bit more open to discussing the specific terms and details of their negotiations with Leeds.”

Kristensen is one of only two out-on-loan Whites who forced their exits via a release clause last summer, with most who did it 12 months before now sold - the exceptions being Brenden Aaronson and Max Wober, who returned to play under Daniel Farke. Jack Harrison triggered his return to Everton in June and developments on his future have recently come to light.

The YEP reported earlier this week that Harrison could possibly return to Major League Soccer, with ‘exploratory talks’ taking place. The 28-year-old is yet to register a single goal or assist in 23 Premier League appearances this season, with a permanent switch to Everton looking unlikely as things stand.