Leeds United boss Marcelo Bielsa has ‘washed his hands’ of Jean-Kevin Augustin, according to Phil Hay of The Athletic.
The French forward’s loan spell at Elland Road has already ended and the club did not seek to extend it for their remaining fixtures. Augustin arrived at the club back in January, but since his arrival, he has appeared for the Whites on just three occasions – playing a total of just 48 minutes of football for Leeds (as per Transfermarkt.co.uk).
The Yorkshire-based club is said to have an obligation to purchase the player from RB Leipzig in the summer if they achieve promotion to the Premier League this season but it was recently reported by Manuel Veth via Twitter that they were looking for a way out of the agreement.
According to Hay, when asked about the situation regarding the forward following the victory over Blackburn Rovers at the weekend, Bielsa ‘declined’ to comment on the topic.
He also went on to report that sources close to Augustin have told The Athletic that he has ‘no expectation’ of representing the club again. Leeds and RB Leipzig are now expected to go to battle over the obligation to buy clause.
Here’s what was stated:
‘Sources close to Augustin have told The Athletic that after 48 minutes in a Leeds shirt and a struggle to cope with Bielsa’s training, his career here is over. He has no expectation of playing for the club again and does not think Bielsa has any intention of persisting with him. All that remains is a battle between Leeds and Leipzig as the former try to escape their obligation and the latter hold out for an agreed fee of around £18 million.’
Are you hopeful Leeds United will find a way out of paying for Jean-Kevin Augustin?
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TIF Thoughts…
Based on Hay’s article, it appears that both the player and Leeds United as a football club are not keen on Augustin joining the Whites in a permanent deal. However, whether there is a way out of the agreement put in place when he arrived at the start of the calendar year remains to be seen.