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Leeds United’s 10 most expensive sales of all time, including Man Utd and Barcelona deals

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Leeds United’s 10 most expensive sales of all time, including Man Utd and Barcelona deals

Leeds United have always struggled to keep hold of their star players, but have managed to raise record transfer fees.

TEAMtalk understands that Everton are now in concrete talks with Leeds over a deal for Wilfried Gnonto, valued at around £25m.

We take a look at the 10 most expensive sales in Leeds United’s history and how these players fared after leaving the club.

Note: While we’ve mentioned the potential add-ons in any deal, we’ve ranked players according to their initial transfer fees.

10. Jonathan Woodgate – £9 million

One of three Leeds United academy graduates on this list, Woodgate broke into the first team in 1998 and made 142 appearances for the club.

But Leeds sold the defender to Newcastle United in a £9m deal in January 2003 as they sought to ease their financial problems.

“I was in tears walking out of the training ground because I didn’t want to go – I was absolutely devastated,” Woodgate said.

“Not because Newcastle weren’t a top club. They were; they had players like Alan Shearer, Gary Speed, Laurent Robert, Kieron Dyer, Craig Bellamy and Jermaine Jenas.

“Sir Bobby Robson was the manager, but I was happy at Leeds. I loved the club, and it was like family to me. They said, ‘You have to go, otherwise the club is basically screwed,’ and could go into liquidation.”

The former England international spent just 18 months at St. James’ Park before joining Real Madrid in a £13.4million deal.

9. Ross McCormack – £11 million

After winning the Championship Golden Boot in 2013/14, McCormack submitted a transfer request to Leeds and joined Fulham in an £11 million deal.

“I like to be in control of situations but it felt like he wasn’t my player,” said former Leeds owner Massimo Cellino. “I was disrespected, he was aggressive towards me. He didn’t show up for the tour and the whole time he wanted to leave here.

“It wasn’t in my mind to sell McCormack, it wasn’t my plan, but I had no choice. He’s a very good player and I’m not going to pretend he’s not, but he didn’t respect me and it wasn’t possible to keep him.”

He scored 42 goals in 100 games for Fulham and won the Player of the Year award in 2014/15 and 2015/16 before moving to Aston Villa.

8. Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink – £12 million

Hasselbaink joined Leeds in a £2 million deal in 1997 and became a fan favourite at Elland Road, scoring 42 goals in 87 appearances in all competitions.

But his time at the club came to a bitter end in 1999 when he rejected a £25,000-a-week contract offer and handed in a transfer request.

The striker was transferred for £12m to Atletico Madrid and scored 35 goals in all competitions in 1999/00 before returning to the Premier League with Chelsea.

7. Chris Wood – £15 million

Wood won the Championship Golden Boot in the 2016/17 season and his performances attracted interest from several Premier League clubs.

Burnley made two unsuccessful bids for the New Zealand international before a third £15 million offer was accepted by Leeds in August 2017.

The striker spent four and a half years at Turf Moor and became Burnley’s record Premier League goalscorer with 49 goals in 136 appearances.

6. Luis Sinisterra – £20 million

Sinisterra joined Leeds from Feyenoord in a £21m deal in the summer of 2022 and has shown flashes of his talent at Elland Road.

But he has also struggled with injury problems and has been unable to prevent Leeds’ relegation from the Premier League in the 2022/23 season.

The Colombian joined Bournemouth on an initial loan deal, which has now been made permanent for a fee of £20m.

5. Tyler Adams – £23 million

Alongside Sinisterra, Adams also spent a year at Elland Road before moving to Bournemouth at the end of the 2022/23 season.

Leeds managed to sell the US international for £23m, a £3m profit on the fee they paid to sign him from RB Leipzig.

The midfielder has endured an injury-plagued debut season with the Cherries, making just four appearances in all competitions in 2023/24.

4. Rio Ferdinand – £29.3 million

Ferdinand joined Leeds from West Ham in 2000 and was a key part of the team that reached the Champions League semi-finals.

But financial pressure forced the club to sell the defender, who joined Manchester United in 2002 in an initial £29.3m deal with a further £4m in potential add-ons.

The deal made him the most expensive British footballer in history at the time and also left Leeds fans feeling betrayed due to the bitter rivalry between the two sides.

“I didn’t actually realise how much of a rivalry Leeds and Man United were,” Ferdinand said. “In London it wasn’t a thing for us, I never knew it was a big rivalry.

“So I signed for Manchester United and I went there for the right reasons, to win trophies, simple as that, and I had a justification for doing that and Leeds needed the money so they really should be thanking me for leaving, otherwise the club would go away.”

He enjoyed a trophy-laden career at Old Trafford, winning six Premier League titles, two League Cups, a Champions League and the FIFA Club World Cup.

3. Archie Gray – £35 million

Archie Gray came through the Leeds United academy, following in the footsteps of his father Andy Gray and grandfather Frank Gray.

The 18-year-old enjoyed a brilliant season in 2023/24, winning both the Leeds Young Player of the Year award and the Championship Young Player of the Year award.

Tottenham fought off competition from Brentford and secured his signature by triggering the £35m release clause in his contract.

The midfielder has signed a six-year contract with the north London side and has has now become the most expensive player to be transferred directly from the Championship to the Premier League.

2. Kalvin Phillips – £42 million

A Leeds fan growing up, Phillips helped the club win the Championship title in 2019/20 and made a seamless transition to the Premier League.

He also excelled for England at Euro 2020 before joining Manchester City in 2022 in an initial £42m deal with a further £3m in potential add-ons.

But the midfielder failed to establish himself in Pep Guardiola’s side, playing just 901 minutes for City’s first team.

He had a disastrous loan spell at West Ham United in the second half of the 2023/24 season and City are now looking to offload him.

1. Raphinha – £49 million

Raphinha joined Leeds from Rennes in a £17m deal in 2020 and has gone on to become one of the Premier League’s best wingers.

Chelsea and Arsenal both tried to sign the Brazilian in the summer of 2022, but Barcelona won the race for his signature after agreeing to pay Leeds an initial £49million fee and a further £6million in potential add-ons.

He enjoyed a successful debut season in Spain, registering seven goals and seven assists in La Liga as Barcelona won their first league title since 2018/19.

But the 27-year-old now faces an uncertain future at the club after being usurped on the right wing by youngster Lamine Yamal.

READ MORE: Champions League hopefuls Leeds United could have if Marcelo Bielsa had landed his top targets

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