A decision has seemingly been made on the future of a defender currently out on loan from Leeds United at a European club, with the player set to come back to Elland Road now.
Leeds have a number of players out on loan at European sides at the moment after Victor Orta included clauses in some contracts that in the event of relegation, allowed them to jump ship if wages were paid.
Used as a temptation for players to move to Elland Road but also as a tool to reduce wages instantly, it backfired. It meant Leeds could not sell and therefore have the necessary cash to reinvest in the squad.
Brenden Aaronson, Robin Koch and Max Wober are in Germany while Marc Roca returned to Spain. Jack Harrison and Luis Sinisterra returned to the Premier League with Everton and Bournemouth respectively.
Diego Llorente and Rasmus Kristensen are at Roma with Llorente spending the last 18 months with The Italian giants. Danish defender Kristensen joined Llorente last summer but has endured a difficult season.
Now, Italian reports state that Kristensen’s year-long stay at Roma will end at that, just one season:
Rasmus Kristensen will return to Leeds United after his Roma loan
The 26-year-old joined Roma after struggling at Leeds in his first season, even losing his place to Luke Ayling in the starting line-up during the second half of 2023-24 in the Premier League before relegation.
The hype was big around Kristensen given he is a 20-time Denmark international, reuniting with Jesse Marsch and even rejecting clubs in the Champions League to move to Yorkshire in the summer of 2023.
But after just 29 appearances in a Roma shirt and struggling in a scrap to start with Zeki Celik and Rick Karsdorp, Sport Mediaset say Kristensen will not remain beyond his loan and he will go back to Leeds.
Just how bad has it been for Kristensen at Roma
It has been pretty bad for Kristensen, so much so his place in Denmark’s squad is under threat ahead of Euro 2024. He was banished from Roma’s Europa League squad due to Roma’s three right-back options.
In and out of the side, Kristensen could never really lay down a marker at Roma or develop momentum. Clearly there is a player in Kristensen, with Llorente describing him as a “complete player” after reuniting.
It will be interesting to see what happens with Kristensen, but the chances are Leeds will listen to offers for the defender. It could be that Leeds will sell him for a loss, after his £10m arrival last summer.