2 weeks Ago
Eintracht Frankfurt have agreed a deal to complete the permanent signing of Leeds United defender Rasmus Kristensen. The transfer will be completed when the summer transfer window opens on June 1. Leeds sources, who, like all of those spoken to for this article were speaking under the condition of anonymity to protect relationships, said the transfer could be worth up to €9million (£7.
7m; $9.026m) to Leeds. Frankfurt sources told The Athletic the fee will be €6m (£5.
1m; $6.8m) guaranteed, with potential add-ons. Advertisement The Denmark international has been on loan with the Bundesliga outfit since last July and has proven a big success at Waldstadion.
Only two players, including former Leeds defender Robin Koch, have played more minutes than Kristensen in a campaign which has taken Frankfurt to third in the German top flight and the quarter-final stage of the Europa League. Kristensen, 28 in July, still has two years left to run on the five-year deal he signed when Leeds paid around £10m ($13.2m) for him in 2022.
The right-back was brought in from Red Bull Salzburg because of his relationship with then-United head coach Jesse Marsch. He made 26 Premier League appearances across the 2022-23 campaign which ended in relegation for Leeds. In the summer of 2023, Kristensen was one of a number of players who saw loan clauses, activated by relegation, triggered.
Roma loaned him during that window. Kristensen has not featured for Leeds in any game since the final-day loss to Tottenham Hotspur in May 2023 when relegation was confirmed. He was not someone deemed to have a future at Leeds, either in the top flight or the Championship.
Head of football operations, Adam Underwood, has led the club’s negotiations on this deal with Eintracht over the last few months. The former academy chief has seen his responsibilities on player trading increase since the end of 2024, with interim football advisor Nick Hammond winding down his duties at Elland Road. The deal represents a financial loss on what Leeds paid for Kristensen three years ago, but Leeds sources are pleased to have recouped the majority of that fee in this sale.
(Harry Murphy – Danehouse/Getty Images).
