Football League World
·30 August 2024
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·30 August 2024
It has emerged just how much Leeds United will be paying to complete the signing of Isaac Schmidt from St. Gallen
Leeds are set to complete the deadline day signing of St. Gallen's Isaac Schmidt and it has been revealed Daniel Farke's side will be paying in the region of £4.5 million to land their man.
The Whites had been in the market for a new left-back all summer after it had proved to be something of a problem position in the 2023/24 campaign, with Junior Firpo currently representing Leeds' sole out-and-out senior option in that area of the pitch.
However, Schmidt is now poised to be added to the Elland Road ranks and the financial details have emerged on Leeds' latest recruit.
According to Swiss outlet Blick, who called Schmidt's move to West Yorkshire yesterday afternoon, St. Gallen will be receiving a club-record fee from Leeds for the left-back.
It is claimed that the fee, which is also set to be a Swiss transfer record, will be an outlay of €5.5m (£4.5m) should Leeds gain promotion to the Premier League this term. It is not yet clear, however, just how much Leeds will be paying upfront.
Nonetheless, the report states that a sell-on clause will be included in the deal with other bonuses. Leeds are believed to have offered Schmidt a "lucrative multi-year" contract to join the club and have financial muscle to leverage in the transfer market after sanctioning numerous high-profile departures this summer such as Archie Gray, Crysencio Summerville, and most recently Georginio Rutter.
The Whites are expected to complete the signing of Schmidt at some stage in today's action-packed deadline, with the Swiss full-back set to head to England for medical proceedings.
He made what is sure to be his last appearance for St. Gallen yesterday evening, scoring in their UEFA Conference League qualifier victory over Trabzonspor.
Despite losing a range of key players across the summer period, Leeds still boast a formidable squad at Championship level and it is one that has been bolstered as of late through the signings of Manor Solomon and Largie Ramazani.
Of course, though, the left-back issue was a sticking point among supporters and there had been concern over how Leeds would improvise in the event of an injury to current first-choice operator Firpo.
Schmidt will provide depth at not only left-back but in numerous positions across the side, having also featured at right-back and in defensive midfield across his career. The 24-year-old could even usurp Firpo in Farke's thinking, having been an impressive performer in the Swiss top-flight for St. Gallen.
Schmidt is a modern day full-back, capable of driving forward upfield, overlapping and providing an outlet with crosses into the box. Those qualities should serve Leeds well when they look to play on the break against teams in the Championship and supporters will be glad to finally see the left-back position being meaningfully addressed.