When 49ers Enterprises originally completed their ownership of Leeds United, Paraag Marathe stated that he negotiated in his sleep.
Given the level of interest in so many Leeds players this summer, it’s safe to assume that is about to be tested.
So far, Leeds have demonstrated a side of themselves that has not been seen in past years by removing most of the deadwood from Daniel Farke’s team. Twelve players have already left, and Glen Kamara is on the verge of being number thirteen.
However, given the message that has been sent regarding Leeds’ PSR situation since Archie Gray’s £40 million sale to Tottenham, the 49ers are about to face their most difficult assignment yet.
Junior Firpo, Wilfried Gnonto, Crysencio Summerville, Rasmus Kristensen, and most likely others are all attracting a lot of attention right now, and it is up to the 49ers to negotiate the correct fees so that they can be reinvested. If they fail, they will face another year in the Championship.
The 49ers could be set to pull off Rasmus Kristensen’s masterstroke.
In terms of Leeds’ ability to get acceptable player fees this summer, the results have been mixed. Gray became the most expensive English teenager of all time by joining Spurs, which is difficult not to consider smart business.
Nearly £4 million for a defender who rarely featured last season, Charlie Cresswell, is solid, and profiting from Kamara just a year after his Rangers move is also reasonable.
On the other side, receiving less than £7 million for both Marc Roca and Diego Llorente was disappointing, though Leeds were plainly pleased to have them off their books.
Having said that, if the recent reports on Rasmus Kristensen are correct, Leeds could be set to perform their best business of the summer, inside or outside.
Leeds are apparently asking £12.6 million to trade the right-back, with Eintracht Frankfurt interested in reuniting him with Robin Koch.
At this point, Frankfurt has not agreed to reach that valuation, but conversations are underway, and a deal in that region would be a masterstroke.
Leeds spent £10 million for him in 2022, and after such a disappointing two years at Elland Road and then AS Roma, he has done nothing to warrant a profit. Hopefully, it gets finished.
What is Kristensen’s position on a move?
Since Brenden Aaronson’s decision to return to Leeds, the fates of Kristensen and Max Wober have been under scrutiny.
Daniel Farke has been considering bringing both back, but rumors say Kristensen is eager on completing a move to Frankfurt.
The Denmark international is nearing a verbal agreement on personal conditions and is now waiting for the two teams to respond.
It will be fascinating to see if he comes to Thorp Arch for pre-season given this latest update, as he is expected back at any time.
