Leeds United play-off defeat triggers automatic clause in loan player’s contract

The Spaniard is an unlikely beneficiary of Leeds' play-off woe as failure to return to the Premier League means the 27-year-old is permitted to remain on loan at Real Betis, should the LaLiga club seek to retain his services for another year.

Roca's loan release clause reportedly allows the midfielder to go on loan for an additional season, as Leeds did not clinch promotion back to the Premier League on Sunday.

He has spent the 2023/24 campaign on loan at Real Betis and previously expressed a desire to extend his stay in Spain.

“There is a clause like this year. If Leeds is not in the Premier League, I can go out on loan again," the player said in an interview earlier this season.

Roca's Elland Road contract does not expire until the summer of 2026, although the loan extension means a decision on his future can be postponed for another 12 months.

Other loanees, such as Brenden Aaronson and Max Wober could be reasonably expected to return to Thorp Arch over the summer following the conclusion of their one-year loan deals with Union Berlin and Borussia Monchengladbach, respectively. Neither player is understood to have had a similar clause to Roca allowing for an extension to their initial loan deal.