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Leeds transfer news: Whites settle legal dispute, Long-term target fails to agree new deal

With less than a fortnight to go in the transfer window, it looks as if Leeds United have finally paid some money out for a player.

Before anybody starts getting their hopes up too soon, however, it’s worth pointing out that the Whites have had to put their hands in their pockets for a player that they already own.

Robin Koch arrived at Elland Road from SC Freiburg over the summer as a replacement for Ben White, but has been sidelined since picking up a knock against Chelsea last month.

Since then, German outlets Trierische Volksfreund and Der Betze Brennt have both reported that a number of his former clubs are entitled to payouts from Leeds, in-keeping with FIFA regulations on player development, but at the time of writing last week, neither Eintracht Trier or SV Dörbach had been compensated.

The situation became so tense that lawyers were contacted, but it would now appear that the Whites have taken steps to resolve the issue.

Volksfreund have provided an update on the situation, suggesting that Leeds have now coughed up the first instalment of the money.

Eintracht Trier branch manager Björn Berens told the publications: “Immediately after our second letter from our lawyer, we received feedback from Leeds that we still had to hand in a document on letterhead of the association.

“We did that immediately, and now the money came.”

Dorbach don’t appear to have received any payment yet, but by the looks of things, this is more of a clerical miscommunication than any kind of deliberate attempt from the Whites to withhold funds.

The payment itself amounted to a little over £90,000, and it’s hard to see Leeds quibbling over such a relatively small amount.

Elsewhere, long-term Leeds target Ryan Kent appears to have hit a stumbling block in his contract negotiations with current club Rangers.

The Whites have been linked with the winger on numerous occasions in the past, and Football Insider report that attempts to agree an improved deal for the player at Ibrox have ground to a halt.

Even as recently as this summer, Leeds were favourites to land the wide man, and there’s no reason to believe that Marcelo Bielsa wouldn’t be interested in rekindling that interest further down the line if his impasse in Glasgow continues.

Kent has had another stellar season in Scotland, and aside from helping the Gers to pull 21 points clear of bitter rivals Celtic at the summit of the table, he has also shown a lot of individual promise.

So far this term, his pass completion rate is 13.2% higher than Leeds’ current left-winger Jack Harrison, while his dribble success rate is 2.7% higher, and his shooting accuracy is 2.9% higher, as per Wyscout.

Granted, he’s playing in a league that is undoubtedly of a lower standard than the Premier League, but those figures are impressive nonetheless, and the key here is that Bielsa is a keen admirer.

The Argentine has rarely backed a dud since he arrived in England, and this could be a situation to keep an eye on in the coming weeks and months.

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