Leeds United transfer negotiations pushed Premier League club to brink says top boss — YEP 5/3/25

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By Joe Donnohue

Brighton and Hove Albion chief executive Paul Barber says the fee which ultimately prised Leeds United forward Georginio Rutter away from Elland Road was a 'high-tide mark' for the Premier League club's transfer model.

Barber says the £40 million deal, which saw Georginio's release clause triggered last summer, was not a comfortable position for the south coast club to be in.

Speaking to The Athletic, Barber said: "Rutter and, to a lesser extent, Joao Pedro were high-tide marks for us.

"We are not comfortable buying at those levels and we will always be looking to buy at lower levels in order to make our model work.

“The problem when you are spending at those sorts of levels is that the headroom is far more limited. You need a lot more things to go right. You need those players to flourish for our trading model to work.”

Last summer, Brighton initially approached Leeds with an offer some way short of the eventual £40 million fee, before returning with improved terms; both were rejected by the Elland Road hierarchy. Only when the player's release clause was activated, shortly before it was due to expire, did Leeds relent in their negotiations.

Brighton committed a significant amount to incoming signings during the most recent off-season, adding Rutter, Yankuba Minteh, Brayan Gruda, Matt O'Riley, Mats Wieffer and Ferdi Kadioglu for reported £25 million fees and above.

The ex-Leeds forward was the marquee addition and has delivered in the Premier League with five goals and three assists in 17 top flight starts under Fabian Hurzeler. The Frenchman has also added a further three goals in domestic cup competitions bringing his overall tally to eight goals in 29 appearances for the Seagulls - the same number he managed in 66 games for Leeds.

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