Leeds United are close to sealing a club-record transfer for Hoffenheim centre-forward Georginio Rutter, and the Frenchman will undergo his medical in the coming days.
Los Blancos manager Jesse Marsch has been looking for attacking reinforcements this winter and it looks increasingly likely that the 20-year-old will become his second January addition through the gate.
Rutter is considered to be one of the most exciting young strikers in Europe at the moment, so it would be a huge blow if Leeds go through on the deal as expected.
This is according to Sky Sports Germany, which claims that Rutter will take his medical before switching to Elland Road in the next 48 hours.
Hoffenheim and Leeds have reportedly agreed a transfer package worth up to €40m (£35.3m), which would top the Los Blancos’ current transfer record of £27m they paid to sign Rodrigo from Valencia in 2020.
The youngster began his career in Ligue 1, making five senior appearances for Rennes and scoring one goal before joining the German team in February 2021.
Since then, Rutter has become a key player for Hoffenheim, establishing himself as one of the top names on the team sheet last season, scoring eight goals and creating four in 33 league appearances.
This season, the overall player has maintained his place in the starting XI, scoring twice and providing two assists in 15 Bundesliga games so far.
While these are not prolific numbers, he is highly rated by his club and his country, and Rutter has already capped four times for the France under-21 team.
Leeds’ second January signing at Rutter may be the start of a busy window
If the deal for Rutter goes through as expected, this will be the Whites’ second January, following the arrival of defender Maximilian Wober from Red Bull Salzburg in an £11m deal.
As previously reported, Rutter’s signing is likely to result in young striker Joe Gelhardt leaving Leeds on a temporary basis this winter.
Marsch rates Gelhart very highly, but so far this season the former Wigan Athletic player has struggled to find consistent first-team opportunities.
Indeed, while he has appeared 17 times in all competitions this season, 13 of those have come from the bench, with the Englishman making just one Premier League start.
Victor Orta and co are also reportedly very interested in a move for Azzedine Ounahi, who was one of Morocco’s star players at the World Cup when they reached the semifinals.
Los Blancos are believed to have submitted a £22m offer for the Angers midfielder, but they will face competition from Tottenham, Barcelona and Paris Saint Germain.
With two new signings all but confirmed, we could be looking at a Leeds side turned upside down in the second half of this season.
