Leeds United: New fee claims emerge around Georginio Rutter's Brighton transfer | OneFootball

Leeds United forward Georginio Rutter is set to join Brighton & Hove Albion.

Leeds United forward Georginio Rutter is set to leave Elland Road and sign for Premier League side Brighton & Hove Albion, and a new update has claimed that the Seagulls are set to pay more than the £40 million that has been touted.

The French playmaker is poised to make a return to the Premier League with Brighton, having impressed in the Championship for Leeds last season.

The Athletic previously reported that the Seagulls had activated a £40 million release clause in Rutter's contract, after Leeds had turned down bids of £29 million and £35 million prior to the terms of the clause being met.

Now, following a fresh update from journalist Florian Plettenberg, it looks as though the Whites may receive slightly more than £40 million for the sale of Rutter, although they will be required to pay a percentage of the transfer fee to his former club Hoffenheim.

Financial details of Georginio Rutter's Brighton move revealed

As per Plettenberg's fresh report, Brighton will pay in the region of £42.5 million in total for Rutter, if Leeds become entitled to all the possible bonus payments that are included in the deal, rather than the fee being capped at £40 million.

Also, Rutter's former club Hoffenheim are set to benefit from a sell-on clause which was part of the deal that saw the 22-year-old sign for Leeds in January 2023. The German side will receive a fee in the region of £5.5 million once the forward's move to the Amex Stadium has been completed.

Leeds signed Rutter from Hoffenheim in January last year for a club-record fee potentially rising to £35.5 million (David Ornstein has outlined the initial fee was £25m) on a long-term contract which was due to expire in 2028, while it has now become apparent that a sell-on clause was also included as part of that deal.

It is no surprise that the forward, who possesses technical ability that defies his physical stature, is set to make a return to the top flight of English football, after his performances last season were a key factor in Leeds reaching the Championship play-off final at Wembley in May, where they were beaten by Southampton.

Brighton will feel that Rutter is more prepared to thrive in the Premier League now than he was when he first arrived at Elland Road last year, and their reported outlay of around £42.5 million, after add-ons, could look like a good deal in a couple of years' time.

Leeds United must strengthen before the end of the transfer window

Leeds have sold a number of players for significant transfer fees this summer following their failure to bounce back to the Premier League at the first time of asking last term - Archie Gray, Crysencio Summerville and Glen Kamara are just a few of the players Leeds have sold in multi-million pound deals during the current transfer window.

The Whites spent a reasonable amount of money to bring in Jayden Bogle and Joe Rodon permanently, but they need to invest further to ensure that Daniel Farke has enough quality in his squad to mount a successful promotion push this season.

Leeds have been linked with Norwich City's Jon Rowe, Rabbi Matondo of Rangers, Million Manhoef from Stoke City, and Hammarby striker Jusef Erabi, as they look to bring in attacking reinforcements to replace the likes of Summerville and Rutter.

Leeds will have received a serious amount of money from player sales this summer once Rutter's move to Brighton is finalised, which may result in clubs demanding inflated transfer fees when the Whites' attempt to make new signings themselves.

However, Leeds must ensure that they adequately replace the players they have lost before the end of the transfer window if they are going to be successful at the end of the 2024/25 campaign.