Leeds United sent ‘unhealthy expectation’ warning amid Georginio Rutter transfer claims

Leeds United have been told they are paying well over the odds for potential new signing Georginio Rutter.

Reports have claimed Leeds are preparing to complete the signing of the Hoffenheim striker, and it’s claimed they could break their transfer record by paying as much as £32million, surpassing the £27million they paid to secure Rodrigo Moreno from Valencia. Rutter is still only 20 years of age, and to-date, he only has 61 senior league appearances to his name across time at Rennes and his current club, scoring 11 league goals.

But Leeds think they have found a gem, and it seems they are preparing to splash out in the hope Rutter can kickstart their season, with the Whites struggling to put distance between themselves and the drop zone so far. In truth, it’s at the back where Leeds’ biggest struggles have come, but a new star striker would certainly help, especially with Patrick Bamford’s injury issues in recent times.

According to German football consultant Jasmine Baba, though, Leeds are about to seriously overpay for their possible new signing.

“We have him at [a value of] around 16-20 million euros at the moment, which Leeds are basically doubling,” she told ITV Sport. “It’s a lot over what he’s valued at the moment and that can bring quite an unhealthy expectation to such a young player and could backfire.”

Baba added that Rutter is a ‘technically gifted and very dynamic striker,’ and she did dub him one of the best dribblers in Bundesliga. But concerns were also raised that Rutter ‘only really had one healthy season of playing time.’

Baba added: “People should not expect Leeds’s problems to magically disappear,” and that will raise concern for Leeds fans, but overpaying in the January transfer window is not uncommon, and especially not when it involves a next big thing.