Why Leeds United 'will owe' Hoffenheim a transfer payment if Georginio Rutter joins Brighton

It looks increasingly likely that Georginio Rutter has played his final match for Leeds United. The French forward bid an "emotional" goodbye to his teammates and coaching staff yesterday ahead of completing a £40m move to Brighton and Hove Albion.

The Seagulls triggered a clause in Rutter's Whites deal on Wednesday, having had two offers turned down for the player earlier in the summer. United tried and failed to convince the 22-year-old to extend his Elland Road stay.

Farke refuses to blame the board for Rutter's sale, saying chairman Paraag Marathe and recruitment staff are being as proactive and ambitious as possible to strengthen the squad in the final two weeks of the summer transfer window. Rutter is set to become the latest of the crown jewels to be sold since May, following on from Archie Gray and Crysencio Summerville.

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"Nobody is more sad than Paraag," insisted Farke. "He did not run the club to be there with the biggest bank account - he wants to bring this club back to where it belongs. He is ambitious but sticks to the rules."

United will owe Hoffenheim a transfer payment should Rutter's move to the Premier League side go through, according to German outlet Kicker. It has been suggested that the Whites will have to pay Rutter's former club around £4.2m to reflect add-ons not reached as part of the agreement that took Rutter to Elland Road in January 2023 for a club-record fee.

The report states that United must pay the Bundesliga club the outstanding sum in one full payment. It remans unclear whether a sell-on clause was inserted as part of the deal.