Worrying loan fee insight emerges as Leeds United man completes PL move – David Ornstein
Leeds United winger Jack Harrison has completed a move to Everton on a season-long loan, with the Toffees triggering a clause present in his contract over the weekend.
The Whites are not in a good place right now, with one point on the board from two Championship games and a side that is falling apart at the seams.
After the refusal to play of Willy Gnonto, Leeds’ wide situation has become even worse over the weekend with Luis Sinisterra’s unavailability and Jack Harrison’s ongoing injury and now looming departure.
Harrison to Everton?
Sunday brought the aftermath to Leeds’ dismal performance away at Birmingham City, where reality of a potential tough campaign is setting in, unless a ruthless turnaround in the transfer window takes place.
Leeds fans didn’t get much chance to even dissect the defeat with news coming in all day of Harrison’s imminent exit from the club.
It was initially revealed that he was heading to Goodison Park for an Everton medical ahead of a season-long loan, before Aston Villa swooped in and plotted to hijack the deal, agreeing a deal and seeing him expected to link up with Unai Emery.
This was before a Villa medical saw Harrison’s current injury issues highlighted, to which the Midlands club believe it would take another five-to-six weeks for him to fully recover – per Fabrizio Romano.
Harrison deal agreed and completed
Now, Everton have won the race to sign him from Leeds on a season-long loan, per David Ornstein, having chased him for a while.
A medical has been completed and paperwork signed for the 26-year-old to join the Merseyside outfit under Sean Dyche:
Everton have signed Jack Harrison from Leeds United. 26yo midfielder agreed terms, underwent medical & has now put pen to paper on season-long loan that #EFC would like to make permanent in due course. Major target all summer landed @TheAthleticFC #LUFC
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Leeds United confirm departure of winger with relegation contract clause activated
The winger has secured an immediate return to the Premier League with a move to join Sean Dyche’s side, after a medical was completed on Sunday. Harrison is the latest in a long line of players to leave Elland Road on loan thanks to relegation clauses in their contracts.
Both Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur showed fleeting interest in the 26-year-old this summer, whereas Everton remained keen on him throughout. Aston Villa did make an attempt to hijack the deal on Sunday but Harrison, by that time in the throes of completing the move to Goodison, decided to stick to his guns and become a Toffee.
Harrison made 206 appearances for the Whites having joined initially on loan from Manchester City at the start of the 2018/19 campaign. He was finally made a permanent signing in July 2021 and scored 34 goals in total in his time at Elland Road. He was a key part of Marcelo Bielsa’s promotion winning side and impressed particularly in his first Premier League season.
Leeds have waved goodbye to several players already this summer and the exits are not yet at an end. Tyler Adams, who almost made a move to Chelsea last week, is still expected to attract top level interest. Luis Sinisterra was not available to play at the weekend according to boss Daniel Farke and is thought to have a relegation clause in his deal. Willy Gnonto does not have such a clause but told Farke last week that he did not feel he could travel to Birmingham to play. The manager has insisted that anyone who wants to leave can train on their own and will not form part of his plans.
