Leeds United have a number of senior players out on loan until the summer and one player has said he would like to remain with his loan side on a permanent basis.
Victor Orta’s relegation loan clause allowed senior players with the clause inserted in their contracts to exit the club after relegation on loan. It saw Jack Harrison, Max Wober and plenty of others leaveLeeds.
Robin Koch and Luis Sinisterra have since completed their loans into permanent deals. For another six players, the summer remains unclear and Marc Roca is in that boat after initially impressing at Betis.
The left-footed midfielder returned to Spain after three difficult seasons following his exit from Espanyol. He joined Bayern Munich in 2020 but managed just just 24 appearances in two seasons with the Germans.
Leeds signed him for what looked to be a bit of a steal at just £10m. But Roca struggled to win fans over at Elland Road and he left the club for Betis, again initially impressing but injury saw him lose his spot.
Despite falling out of the side at Betis, Roca told ABC Sevilla that he is “happy” with the La Liga side and is keen on joining permanently. But, the doubt lies as to whether Betis want the midfielder permanently.
Marc Roca says he is “happy” at Betis and wants Leeds exit
Quoted by Sport Witness, Roca said: “I’ve always said that I am happy at Betis. How the fans have treated me is incredible. In the end it is up to my representative, the sports management, Betis, Leeds and God.”
Roca has made his mind up and wants a permanent exit from Leeds to Betis. The 49ers will be keen to offload Roca, along with other players out on loan given how badly fans reacted to them jumping ship.
But it all depends on whether Betis are willing to cough up the cash necessary to sign him. Leeds paid £10m to sign Roca and given his form back in his home country, it is likely a similar fee is expected.
How much cash will Betis have to pay to sign Roca from Leeds?
Reports in Spain state that if Leeds get promoted, the asking price for Roca will be more than it is if Daniel Farke‘s men remain in the Championship. If The Whites are in the Premier League he will cost £10.5m.
A fee that sees Betis sign a player that is clearly much better back in his home country. It also sees Leeds regain their initial outlay on Roca but it all hinges on whether Betis are willing to pay the fee for Roca.
Farke’s thoughts on Roca are also unclear and given Leeds need a midfielder, the German boss might be tempted to take a look at the former Espanyol man. He has a contract at Leeds until June 2026.
