Bundesliga News

RB Leipzig and Leeds to face legal battle over Jean-Kevin Augustin?

By Rune Gjerulff   @runegjerulff

RB Leipzig insist Leeds United are obliged to sign Jean-Kevin Augustin for €21 million.
Jean-Kevin Augustin.
Jean-Kevin Augustin.Photo: GEPA Pictures/Roger Petzsche
RB Leipzig could be set for a legal battle with Leeds over French striker Jean-Kevin Augustin.


Back in January, Augustin joined Leeds from RB Leipzig on a loan deal with an obligation to buy for €21 million should the English side earn promotion to the Premier League.

Augustin's loan deal expired on June 30, at which point he was shipped back to Germany after having made just three appearances for Leeds.

The deal was scheduled to expire at the end of the season, but due to the suspension of football following the coronavirus outbreak, Leeds still had a number of games to play at the time.

Leeds have since secured promotion to the Premier League and are now hoping to circumvent the purchase option, arguing that it has technically expired. However, RB Leipzig are fully expecting the English club to honor the agreement.

"Leeds have been promoted, which means the purchase option has been activated," RB Leipzig sporting director Markus Krösche said in an interview with Kicker.


"When the contractual agreements were negotiated in January, all involved parties were in complete control of their actions. I expect that things will now move in the appropriate direction," he added.

If Leeds don't pay the €21 million for Augustin, RB Leipzig could complain to FIFA to try to resolve the issue.

Philipp S. Fischinger, professor of labour and sports law at the University of Mannheim, believes RB Leipzig would have a good chance of winning a legal case.

"If I had to make a bet, I'd say that Leipzig would win a legal dispute. At least if you assume that German law applies - or Swiss law, which is the preferred choice for transfer cases," Fischinger told Kicker and continued:

"If Leipzig and Leeds had anticipated that the season in England would be extended, they would almost certainly have agreed that the period for exercising the purchase option would not end on 30 June."

Augustin's contract with RB Leipzig expires in 2022.


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