Doubts had filled Weston McKennie’s mind about his transfer to Leeds United as he waited by the phone, packing and unpacking his bags in Italy. It was roughly two days after Georginio Rutter’s transfer was confirmed McKennie first heard Victor Orta wanted him at Elland Road.
For the past fortnight, the 24-year-old has been waiting for Leeds and Juventus to thrash out the details on a package which could ultimately cost more than £35m if every bonus is triggered across loan and permanent deals. Initially, the Whites will pay a little over £1m to take McKennie on loan with add-ons up to £220,000 possible between now and the end of the season.
All parties seem confident the move will be made permanent in the summer and that will set Leeds back a fee fractionally over £30m across five years. Performance add-ons could then be triggered up to just shy of £4m.
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“I'm excited,” McKennie tells LeedsLive . “You have nerves as a player and you have thoughts, but coming here, finally, puts my mind at ease and knowing it's finally a done deal
“You're just sitting there, your mind's racing everywhere like ‘am I coming, am I not going or whatever.’ So, now I'm here, it's definitely energetic for me.”
Orta has tracked McKennie since his days at Schalke in Bundesliga, but the realistic opportunity to sign him has not come up until now. He now gives the USA international the chance to achieve a lifelong dream alongside his friends Tyler Adams and Brenden Aaronson.
“I want to say I heard about it maybe two weeks ago,” he said. “He told me in conversation he's watched me for a long time, but I was in Germany at the time and he spoke with my agents and everything, but yes, two weeks ago.
“I've been wanting to play in the Premier League for a long time and I feel like there's no better place that fits my style and my energy than here.”
Feeling wanted by Orta is a big part of this deal for the American. He hopes now he can live up to the expectations Leeds have, as shown in the fee they have agreed to pay.
“For any player, anywhere, to feel wanted is a big thing because you don't want to just go there and be someone they’ll just grab to sit on the bench,” he said. “Hopefully, coming here, I can come and perform good and live up to the expectations they have for me and show them why they were interested in me.”
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