"It would be very surprising" - Graham Smyth makes claim on looming Leeds United player exit | OneFootball

This Leeds United star is being tipped for a European exit in the summer.

It would be ‘very surprising’ to see Leeds United man Rasmus Kristensen end up anywhere other than Eintracht Frankfurt in the summer.

This is according to the Yorkshire Evening Post’s chief football writer, Graham Smyth, who believes it is only a matter of time before the 27-year-old seals a move to Germany.

After falling out of favour at Leeds, Kristensen has spent the season on loan at Frankfurt, who are chasing Champions League football for next term.

Reports from Sky Germany earlier in the week suggested that a deal has potentially been agreed for the Dane to join at the end of the season, but the reported fee of £5million is significantly less than the option to buy that Eintracht were understood to have had as part of the initial loan agreement.

Kristensen is believed to be on the verge of exiting Leeds

With Kristensen having spent the last two seasons away from Elland Road on loan deals elsewhere in Europe, it’s fair to say his permanent exit has been in the pipeline for quite some time.

He hasn’t played for Leeds since their relegation from the Premier League in 2023 and there is seemingly no way back for him at the club.

According to the YEP’s Smyth, it is highly unlikely he will depart for anyone other than Frankfurt when the summer transfer window opens. Speaking to the Inside Elland Road podcast, Smyth said: “It feels very likely it'll be Eintracht Frankfurt because you not only have a club there who want to keep him, you have a player who has probably found a home and wants to stay - and they’re doing very well for themselves in the Bundesliga.

“I just think that one will happen. It would be very surprising, actually, if he went somewhere else at this stage. I think it’s probably just a case of drilling down into the numbers, and then they'll find a number that fits.”

The latest report from Florian Plettenberg of Sky Germany suggested the Bundesliga club were set to pay an initial fee of £5million for the defender, but the YEP’s writer, Joe Donnohue, believes that could be a ploy in Eintracht’s negotiations.

He said: “Given there was a pre-agreed purchase option which is significantly greater than the £5m fee Sky Germany have reported, there could be a bit of gamesmanship on Eintracht’s part to maybe try to force the hand and get a bit more of a discounted deal.

“The purchase option was closer to what Leeds paid for Kristensen, which was £11m, so I can see why the Bundesliga club would be a bit more open to discussing the specific terms and details of their negotiations with Leeds.”

Leeds will be keen to recoup as much as possible for Kristensen

After spending time at Roma last season and now Frankfurt this campaign, there is seemingly no way that Kristensen will force his way back into the fold at Elland Road.

With that in mind, the Whites must surely be desperate to recoup as much of their initial £11million outlay for him as possible. The Dane signed a five-year contract with the West Yorkshire outfit back in 2022, and with that deal still having two years left to run when we reach the summer, it makes sense for Leeds to offload him from the wage bill in any way they can.

According to the YEP, the defender’s contract is estimated to be worth around £2.15million per year, meaning the Whites would need £4.5million in order to offset what they would pay him during the remainder of his deal.

Securing Kristensen a move away from the club would free up valuable money, which could be particularly important this summer, when it’s entirely possible Leeds could be gearing up for a Premier League return.

While the current figures being reported by German outlets are a far cry from the initial eight-figure agreement, Leeds may just have to take whatever they can get in this situation.