Leeds United's massive summer exodus in full as star verbally agrees to Premier League switch

Another Leeds United star vas now ‘verbally agreed’ to a Premier League switch and his pending exit would take the staggering number of club departures up to 27 this summer.

Brighton had already seen bids of £29m and £35m rejected this summer for Leeds star Georginio Rutter but the Frenchman’s contract featured a £40m release clause which became active upon United’s relegation back to the Championship at the end of the 2022-23 campaign.

The clause had a Wednesday evening midnight deadline but Brighton activated the clause in time with a third £40m bid which left any prospective move in Rutter’s hands. Sky Sports Germany are now reporting that Rutter has agreed to join Brighton with immediate effect, that a verbal agreement is done with details to be clarified later today. The player’s medical, they report, could follow in the next 72 hours.

The summer transfer window opened on Friday, June 14, by which point Leeds had already released details of their new season retained list which in itself featured 11 departures. But a steady stream of further exits since including the exits of two stars now has Leeds nearing three team’s worth of players leaving the club.

The summer transfer window will close at 11pm on Thursday, August 30 but here we run through the full list of 26 exits which is expected to become 27 and then 28, four arrivals and two men returning, plus where released players have now ended up.

Celebrating 135 years of telling Leeds' stories
Follow us
© 2026 Iconic Media Group Ltd. All rights reserved.Cookie SettingsTerms and ConditionsPrivacy notice