When Leeds United signed Jean-Kevin Augustin in 2020 on a loan deal, they thought that he could become a catalyst in Marcelo Bielsa's side.
Just three years later and they're paying somewhere in the sum of £40 million for the transfer. So… he was a success, then? Oh, no. Augustin is now set to cost the 2020 Championship winners somewhere in the region of £180,000 for every minute that's played.
What on Earth has happened? FFT's Adam Clery is on hand to explain…
Why are Leeds United having to spend £40 million on Jean-Kevin Augustin?
Leeds United agreed a loan move for Augustin with his employers, RB Leipzig, back in 2020. Bielsa was said to be a big fan of the Frenchman – only he never hit the heights expected.
The loan deal had an obligation to buy, however. Leeds were set to pay a fee of £18m for Augustin at the end of the campaign if they were promoted, despite the Peacocks having serious doubts over the player's fitness. It's since come to light that Augustin himself has had medical issues to prevent him from being able to run long distances. He's now rehabilitating his career at Basel.
So Leeds didn't think they should pay the fee – for two reasons, outlined by Adam in the video above. Unfortunately for the Yorkshire outfit, FIFA have sided with Leipzig and Augustin, asking Leeds to pay both the transfer fee and the five-year, £90,000-a-week contract, as broken by The Athletic's David Ornstein. Ouch.
As Adam points out, however, this could have a big knock-on effect for the loan market in future…
