Brighton activate release clause in Georginio Rutter’s Leeds contract

have activated a £40million release clause in Leeds forward Georginio Rutter’s contract.

The club have been reported to have had bids of £29m and £35m for the Frenchman turned down by Leeds, who do not want to lose the 22-year-old, the PA agency understands.

No other club can activate the release clause after Brighton beat the midnight deadline on , it is understood.

Georginio Rutter runs towards the ball ahead of a Middlesbrough player
Georginio Rutter, right, played for Leeds in their defeat to on Wednesday (Nick Potts/PA)

Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler would not discuss Rutter when asked at his press conference on Thursday morning.

“First of all, I’m very happy with the squad we already have,” he said.

“It’s also our job to search if there’s any player who fits our profile, to our style of play.

“If there might be a fit, we will see what happens, but to negotiations or to players we want to maybe see in our squad, I will never say anything.”

Fabian Hurzeler gestures with his right hand as he talks at a press conference
Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler was remaining tight-lipped (Steven Paston/PA)

Leeds signed Rutter in January last year on a five-and-a-half-year contract from Hoffenheim for a club-record deal, which could rise to £35m.

The club now face an anxious wait for Rutter to decide whether he stays with them or moves on to the top flight with Brighton.

He has established himself as a fans’ favourite at Elland Road, scoring eight goals and making 16 assists in a total of 51 appearances last season as Leeds missed out on an immediate Premier League return after relegation.

Archie Gray battles for a header with a Hearts player
Archie Gray, left, has joined Tottenham this summer (Andrew Milligan/PA)

Since losing 1-0 to in the play-off final at in May they have sold two of their best players, Archie Gray and Crysencio Summerville, to Tottenham and West Ham respectively.

Leeds fans had been expecting those departures – Gray for around £30m, which could rise to £40m, and Summerville for a reported £25m plus add-ons.

The loss of their talisman Rutter following last Saturday’s opening-day draw against would be a big blow to manager Daniel Farke’s bid for automatic promotion this season.

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