Leeds United have suffered a blow in their pursuit of signing Tottenham Hotspur defender Joe Rodon a permanent basis, after activating a clause in his Spurs contract.
Rodon, 26, starred for Leeds during the 2023-24 season. In just one campaign, the Wales ace amassed an enormous 50 appearances in all competitions as Leeds came within a whisker of securing promotion.
But defeat to Southampton in the Championship play-off final has left Leeds wondering whether there is a chance of luring Rodon back to Elland Road ahead of the start of the 2024-25 term under Daniel Farke.
Graeme Bailey told LeedsUnited.News that The Whites will look win the race to land Rodon’s signature despite there being Premier League clubs in the mix to land the Spurs defender in the summer window.
However, Tottenham have now made the first move. Spurs have decided to activate a clause that resides in his contract, which was due to last until the summer of 2025 and it is bad news for Leeds United.
Tottenham make first move as busy Rodon summer approaches
Football London reporter Alasdair Gold claims that Rodon’s Tottenham have activated a clause in his Spurs deal that will now see Rodon have two years left to run before it expires, in the summer of 2026.
There might have been some hope at Elland Road that with Rodon going into the final year of his deal, Spurs would allow him to go on the cheap. But Daniel Levy is smarter than that and has played his card.
With Leeds in the Championship and facing a tight stronghold on the use of cash in the Elland Road coffers, forking out a full fee for Rodon makes a deal even more unlikely having failed to gain promotion.
Two areas which could still give Leeds fans hope of Rodon signing
One is that the report claims Rodon has known about Tottenham extending his deal by a further 12 months, for a month. Indeed, Spurs informed Rodon this would be happening, now it is being reported.
That means his comments just before the play-off final came with Rodon fully aware he would have two years left on his deal, not just one. Rodon said Elland Road was his second home and hinted at signing on.
The other is that Tottenham strike a hard bargain with Levy at the helm and that could put other clubs off signing Rodon permanently, and therefore possibly allow a second loan deal to Leeds with a clause.
But it goes without saying that Rodon, who might end up costing his next club a free of £20m if he goes this summer, is now going to be harder to get over the line at Leeds because of the extended contract.