The ‘complete’ defender will now return to Leeds in June, but his Elland Road future remains unclear

Used as a temptation for players to move to Elland Road, but also as an instant wage-cutting tool, it backfired. It meant that Leeds could not sell and therefore had the money to reinvest in the team.

Brenden Aaronson, Robin Koch and Max Wober are in Germany, while Marc Roca is back in Spain. Jack Harrison and Luis Sinisterra are back in the Premier League with Everton and Bournemouth respectively.

Diego Llorente and Rasmus Kristensen are in Rome, with Llorente spending the last 18 months with the Italian giants. Danish defender Kristensen joined Llorente last summer but has endured a difficult season.

Now Italian reports claim that Kristensen’s year-long stay in Roma will end at that, just one season:

Rasmus Kristensen will return to Leeds United after his loan spell at Roma

The 26-year-old joined Roma after struggling at Leeds in his first season, even losing out to Luke Ayling in the starting line-up for the second half of the 2023-24 Premier League before relegation.

The hype has been high around Kristensen, given he is a 20-time Denmark international, reuniting with Jesse Marsch and even spurning Champions League clubs to move to Yorkshire in the summer of 2023.

But after making just 29 appearances for Roma and struggling in a break to start with Zeki Celik and Rick Karsdorp, Sport Mediaset say Kristensen will not stay beyond the loan and return to Leeds.

How bad it was for Kristensen in Rome

It was bad enough for Kristensen, so much so that his place in the Denmark squad is under threat ahead of Euro 2024. He was left out of Roma’s Europa League squad due to Roma’s three right-back options.

In and out, Kristensen was never able to make a mark in Rome or build momentum. There is clearly a player in Kristensen, with Llorente describing him as a “complete player” after being reunited.

It will be interesting to see what happens with Kristensen, but chances are Leeds will listen to offers for the defender. Leeds may sell him for a loss following his £10m arrival last summer.

Similar topics