Leeds majority owner Andrea Radrizzani has hinted that the club might have to sell some of their most valuable players if they are to take the club to the next step.
In an interview with Forbes, the Italian businessman revealed that the Whites could follow a similar structure that has allowed Leicester City to flourish in recent years, with the Foxes signing talented youngsters for cheap and then selling them on for huge fees.
The likes of Harry Maguire, Riyad Mahrez and Ben Chilwell have all been sold in the past three years for massive transfer fees, allowing Leicester to build a European-calibre side as well as fund the opening of a state-of-the-art training centre.
Indeed, such a structure for a football team is something many clubs are trying to implement. Yet with Leeds currently hovering around the relegation zone, selling key players for a tidy profit could do more bad than good for the club.
Yet for Radrizzani, who plans to develop Elland Road and has lofty ambitions for Leeds as a club, the Italian is eager for the Yorkshire side to follow the Leicester route of functioning as a football club.
The Leeds owner said: “We would have to sell maybe one or two key players and buy other talents coming up, like Leicester have done in the past. We need to be humble and realistic with our means with how we want to grow as a club.”
Radrizzani must solve Leeds issues for now rather than the future
Radrizzani talks of an ambitious future for Leeds where the club are self-sustaining and the Whites are flipping £5m players off for £50m. However, the reality is that there are much more important issues at hand for the Yorkshire side.
Premier League survival is a genuine risk this season, and unless enforcements aren’t brought in in January, there is a real chance that Leeds could return to the Championship if their situation right now is resolved.
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