With only a few days left until the start of the new Championship season, Leeds United could have another problem on their hands with the news that their record signing has a verbal agreement to leave the club.
The all whites have already seen the likes of Robin Koch, Maximilian Wober and Brendan Aaronson depart for the Bundesliga, and the German top-flight might well be about to welcome another Leeds star.
According to Kicker, Georginio Rutter, who cost Leeds a club record fee when signing on a five and a half year deal in January of this year, per the official Premier League website, had a verbal agreement in place with former sporting director, Victor Orta, that he could leave the club in the event of relegation.
Unlike the aforementioned other players, who all had contractual clauses allowing them to move on, it appears that Rutter’s was simply a gentleman’s agreement and one that isn’t likely to be enforceable.
The fact that it appears a deal to move away is being explored in any event would tell you that the Frenchman sees his immediate future elsewhere.
That could present huge problems to Daniel Farke who is likely to have been whittling down his squad to what he believes is his strongest starting XI, and Rutter is likely to have played a part in those thoughts and plans.
Clearly, there’s no point in keeping a player that doesn’t want to be at the club, though it’s difficult to see how Rutter can get a move away on the basis of ‘shaking hands’ with someone that’s no longer at the club.