Tyler Adams £14m Transfer to Leeds Held Up Due to Legal Dispute
This source has been reliable in the past and was one of the first to share information on Jesse Marsch’s contract with Leeds - However they are not intimately involved in this particular transfer, so the following information should be taken as rumor.
Leeds and RB Leipzig Had Agreed on Transfer for Tyler Adams
Leeds and RB Leipzig were extremely close to a £14m deal on the transfer of the USA captain Tyler Adams but the deal has been halted due to a legal dispute between the two clubs. The dispute is based on a previous transfer agreement between the two clubs pertaining to a previous loan of Jean-Kevin Augustin.
According to the source, when Leeds were in the championship they had a loanee from Leipzig Jean-Kevin Augustin with the club for most of the season - the loan included an optional purchase clause of £17.7m. The purchase clause would turn from optional to mandatory if Leeds achieved promotion by the end of the loan spell, set to end on June 30th of that season. Inevitably Leeds did end up getting promoted but because of the Covid pandemic delaying the entire soccer calendar the promotion didn’t occur until July when the loaned player had been sent back to RB Leipzig. Leipzig have claimed that Leeds failed to fulfill the mandatory purchase clause and owe them £17.7m, and it’s up to the courts at this moment.
The Tyler Adams transfer is supposedly on pause as Leipzig are refusing to sell to Leeds until the courts have settled the financial dispute (Leipzig believe they will receive the £17.7m from Leeds). Leipzig would otherwise reportedly accept some sort of additional financial settlement to get the Tyler Adams deal done during this summer window. The problem is that any financial settlement to allow the Adams transfer would essentially be the same as increasing the transfer fee for Adams, since Leeds believe that they’ll win the court case and therefore not have to pay Leipzig any money.
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Again according to the source Leeds aren’t willing to pay 14m + funds in a settlement just to get this particular transfer through. Complicating matters more, it doesn’t seem like anyone except the leeds employees themselves have any idea what’s happening with the court case, so it’s unclear if it’s days, months, or years away from being settled.
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