Leeds United have a conundrum with Jack Harrison this summer, a player that has effectively burned his bridges at Elland Road, but he could be of interest at Everton once more after two loan spells.
Promotion back to the Premier League this year means the 49ers can thankfully forget about the loan clauses that were present in contracts following relegation in 2023.
Every player that was involved in this situation has since seen their situation resolved one way or another ahead of next season apart from one: Jack Harrison.
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Everton want Jack Harrison transfer, but only if Leeds United take PSR hit
Harrison’s future remains in limbo despite the fact club footage shows he’s now reported for pre-season at Thorp Arch like the rest of the squad this week.
Like the 49ers, the winger himself will want his future resolved sooner rather than later after two mixed loans at Everton under Sean Dyche and David Moyes, but the finances behind letting him leave appear complicated.
(REUTERS/Carl Recine)
That’s according to the BBC’s Adam Pope, who shares that Moyes’ Toffees would be interested in signing Harrison for a third time, but only if he’s available on a free transfer:
“My understanding is that Everton would be interested in taking him on a free transfer, but the implications of cutting a deal or paying up Harrison’s contract would have PSR implications for Leeds, who are carefully navigating through the financial parameters while bolstering their squad for the new season.”
Harrison is currently contracted until 2028 at Elland Road, with three years remaining on his contract and an estimated book value of £2.75million. If Leeds were to sever Harrison’s contract and let him leave for free to Everton, they would be accepting a PSR loss of that amount, further reducing the transfer budget available to Daniel Farke for further signings in the rest of the window.
Not only that, but Leeds terminating Harrison’s contract early would require them to come to a settlement for the winger, therefore shelling out more money with Capology claiming he earns £90,000-per-week – which means he stands to earn £14.04million in the remainder of his Leeds contract.
Leeds United need to sell Jack Harrison, and can’t let him go for free
There’s no way back for Harrison at Elland Road as far as the fanbase is concerned, that much is obvious, but our PSR situation is such that we won’t be letting him leave for free.
It makes no financial sense for us to sever his contract early, paying out his extortionate wages in the process and leaving us in a weaker position than if we just sold him at a modest fee.
I’d expect that he’s going to leave one way or another, and Max Wöber’s loan exit being a means to avoid a PSR loss might be a suggestion that we could see the same with Harrison.
If he’s an Everton player by the start of the season, he won’t be getting a nice reception on matchday one.