Football League World
·28 December 2024
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·28 December 2024
FLW looks at Pascal Struijk's current Leeds United contract amid reported interest from Tottenham Hotspur and Wolves
Leeds United defender Pascal Struijk has seemingly emerged as a transfer target for a number of Premier League clubs ahead of the January transfer window, where Daniel Farke could face yet another battle in trying to retain his prized assets.
Struijk is most certainly one, having grown in confidence and importance this season following a somewhat injury-plagued campaign last time out. The Dutchman, who joined the club from Ajax back in 2018, is having his finest season to date as Farke's side aim towards promotion back to the Premier League at the second time of asking.
Leeds are firmly in the hunt for automatic promotion at this moment in time and Struijk has been particularly outstanding, emerging as the side's classiest defender by a distance. It's no surprise he's attracting interest heading into the new year, with a recent report from TBR Football claiming that Tottenham Hotspur, Wolves and Brighton and Hove Albion are all admirers of his.
Just what that means for Struijk's Elland Road future remains to be seen, of course, but there will already be alarm bells given that Spurs signed Archie Gray while Brighton activated Georginio Rutter's release clause back in the summer.
It's certainly going to be interesting to see how this one plays out, and with that in mind, Football League World takes a look at Struijk's current contract and just how much he's earning in West Yorkshire.
We've decided to consult Capology, a site which provides estimates on player salaries, to see what Struijk is currently earning for Leeds.
According to Capology estimates, Struijk is earning a £50,000 weekly wage, which is very significant for Championship level. That contract, of course, was signed when Leeds were still in the Premier League and had the financial muscle to be able to put those sorts of deals on the table. Whether the players have received pay deductions since then remains to be seen, but these estimates do not indicate they have.
Struijk penned those terms back in December 2022, and he's still under contract until 2027. That's going to give Leeds some serious leverage if and when offers do arrive for his services.
The 25-year-old's weekly earnings equate to a yearly salary of £2,600,000, and that makes him the Whites' joint-fourth highest earner behind Patrick Bamford, Junior Firpo and Manor Solomon.
Of course, Solomon is on loan from Spurs, who will be covering at least some of that salary.
Leeds are sure to have their resolve tested with an advance sooner or later, but thankfully they have leverage and can afford to play hardball when it comes to negotiating a deal strictly on their terms.
Every player has a price, especially in the Championship, and Struijk is no exception to that. Leeds aren't going to be intent on sanctioning a sale by any stretch, but if the player himself tries to force through a move or the Whites need to bring money in by giving an exit the green light, they can set a high demand.
That's because the defender is under contract for another two-and-a-half years, so they haven't got to worry about his deal running down anytime soon and having to sell at a cut-price.
Struijk's estimated weekly salary would also perhaps not be increased all that much by any of his suitors, given he's on a Premier League contract and is earning more than a lot of top-flight players, so that doesn't have to be too much of a worry either.
Leeds haven't always got it right with player contracts, not least with the well-documented debacle of the loan exit clauses in the summer of 2023, but agreeing the length of deal for Struijk and having him on a salary which Premier League clubs could perhaps be willing to only marginally better may just pay dividends.