French giants Lyon have registered a ‘strong interest’ in Leeds United’s £35.5 million star attacker Georginio Rutter, according to Telefoot.
Rutter has struggled to adapt to life at Elland Road but managed to score his first goal for the Whites this weekend in a thrilling 4-3 win away at Ipswich Town with a cracking striker from range, beating goalkeeper Václav Hladký.
The Frenchman moved to the Yorkshire club in January for a club-record fee but there were question marks about the signing by the end of the 2022/23 campaign when Rutter had failed to find the net on any occasion and struggled to nail down a first-team spot.
However, Telefoot are reporting that Lyon will look to submit an offer to Leeds United for Rutter should winger Bradley Barcola leave before the transfer window closes.
Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain are closing in on the signing of Barcola and so Rutter is seen as the perfect replacement for the young winger at the Groupama Stadium.
It is unclear how much Lyon are willing to offer to the Championship club in order to secure the versatile attacker’s services. It also hasn’t been reported whether or not Leeds would accept a bid from Les Gones this close to deadline day.
Speaking after Saturday’s win against Kieran McKenna’s Tractor Boys, Rutter admitted he was delighted to bag his first goal for the club [quotes via the Yorkshire Evening Post]:
“I’m happy and everybody is happy for me too, I think the fans and of course it is good for the confidence. This is the first goal and I hope to score more goals for the team and the club.
“It’s a pleasure for me, before it was complicated, but now I hope to come into my own. It was a good performance from the team overall and I hope we can continue this in the next game.”
If Leeds United were to accept an offer from Lyon before Friday, Rutter will already have played his final game for the club.
Writer’s View
The only way this deal could happen is if Lyon bid £35.5 million which is how much Leeds United gave to Hoffenheim for Rutter seven months ago.
Nevertheless, a transfer would also depend on Barcola moving to PSG as well which looks unlikely at the moment so there’s nothing to worry about right now for fans of the Elland Road club.
