Leeds United chairman Paraag Marathe admits the club will have to sell players

Leeds United are currently navigating perilous financial waters after the Yorkshire side failed to return to the Premier League.

The club owes £190m in transfer debt accrued during Andrea Radrizzani’s tenure and recently reported a loss of £33.7m despite significant player sales.

This financial strain is compounded by their latest defeat at Wembley in the Championship play-off final against Southampton, marking their third consecutive finals defeat and a sixth unsuccessful play-off campaign.

Daniel Farke’s side were beaten 1-0 by Southampton in the Championship play-off final thanks to Adam Armstrong’s first-half goal. Defeat means Leeds United will spend their second consecutive season in the Championship, a significant blow given their ambitions to return to the Premier League.

Leeds United will be under serious pressure on profitability and sustainability

The financial consequences of not promoting are serious. Leeds fans are now preparing for the likely departure of key talents such as Crysencio Summerville and Wilfried Gnonto. Chairman Paraag Marathe has acknowledged the possibility of player sales, stating that while the club has the necessary funds, it will need to make sales to meet profit and sustainability rules.

The likelihood of losing key players is a major concern for Leeds. Summerville and Gnonto are expected to attract significant interest from other clubs, making it difficult to keep them. Even young talents like Archie Gray and Georginio Rutter are not guaranteed to stay, despite the club’s efforts to keep them.

Marathe’s comments on BBC Radio Leeds underscore the precarious situation: “We have the funds we need to do what we need to do, but there will have to be some compromises because of (profit and sustainability rules).” The club’s financial obligations and need to balance the books make it difficult to keep hold of its best players after failing to gain promotion back to the Premier League.

Marathe emphasized the club’s commitment to compliance with profit and sustainability regulations: “There are certain things we need to do and we will ensure we are fully compliant with P and S (profit and sustainability) as we always have been. We’ll have to go back to the drawing board and see what offers we have to make.”