Leeds United are reportedly closing in on signing French striker Georginio Rutter from Hoffenheim this month.
According to French journalist Fabrice Hawkins, Leeds United are close to agreeing on a fee with German club Hoffenheim for Georginio Rutter. And the player’s agents have travelled to Portugal to finalise the move.
Apparently, the Bundesliga club will receive a fee of around €30 million for the forward. And the player will earn around €4 million per season. Leads are in desperate need of attacking reinforcements, and Rutter could prove to be a quality long-term acquisition for them.
Jesse Marsch’s side are still very much involved in the relegation battle. And they will need to improve during the second half of the campaign in order to preserve their status as a Premier League club next season.
Leeds have been overly reliant on Rodrigo for goals this season, with Patrick Bamford struggling with fitness issues. The Hoffenheim striker has thus emerged as a viable target to improve them in the final third and give Jesse Marsch more options to work with.
🚨 Georginio Rutter veut rejoindre Leeds cet hiver. Transfert en bonne voie.
◽️ Salaire de 4M€/an et contrat longue durée
◽️ Hoffenheim est proche d’un accord avec Leeds et veut récupérer un peu plus de 30M€
◽️ Ses agents sont allés au Portugal pour finaliser l’opération. pic.twitter.com/dbu5ON5Leo
— Fabrice Hawkins (@FabriceHawkins) January 7, 2023
The reported €30 million fee seems quite reasonable for a player of his ability. And the 20-year-old has the attributes to develop into a top-class player. If he manages to adapt to English football quickly, the transfer could look like a bargain for Leeds United.
The player has shown his quality in the Bundesliga this season and will be determined to prove himself in the Premier League now. The French striker has two goals and three assists to his name across all competitions this season. But he is still quite young and he is likely to improve significantly over the next few seasons.
It will be interesting to see if Marsch can get the best out of the 20-year-old during the second half of the season. Leeds are currently two points clear of the bottom three and will be hoping to finish as high as possible. The Whites have scored 25 goals in 17 league matches this season and need to improve the offensive side of their game to climb up the table.
Meanwhile, the move to the Premier League will be a major step up for Rutter, and it remains to be seen whether he is prepared to take on the challenge of English football. But Leeds might not be done with signing just Rutter, with Milos Kerkez recently emerging on their radar.
