Leeds United rejected a monster £25 million bid from Borussia Dortmund for Georginio Rutter earlier this summer.
That is according to Sky Sports, who report that Leeds rejected the advances of the Champions League club as they would only consider a sale if they recoup what they paid for him.
The Whites broke their transfer record in January to sign Rutter from Hoffenheim in a deal worth around £35 million.
The 21-year-old shone during his time in the Bundesliga and Dortmund were keen on a move to bring him back to Germany just a matter of months after his arrival in England.
At this stage, it is unclear if Dortmund plan to return with a fresh offer for Rutter before the end of Friday’s deadline, though it would take a significant increase on their first bid.
Dortmund saw £25m bid turned by Leeds for Rutter
As mentioned, Leeds would only be open to allowing Rutter to depart if potential interested clubs are prepared to match what was spent earlier this year.
According to the same report, Lyon are now exploring the possibility of a deal for Rutter if wantaway winger Bradley Barcola leaves before the deadline.
However, a potential stumbling block in the deal is that Lyon would have to absolutely smash their transfer record in order to meet Leeds’ asking price.
It would be a real shame if Leeds were to lose Rutter this late in the window after he showed real signs of what he can offer in the 4-3 win at Ipswich Town on Saturday.
Rutter netted his first goal for the club in that game and it is now hoped he can use that as a spring board to kick start his Leeds career.
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