Football finance expert Kieran Maguire believes Jean-Kevin Augustin could be the most expensive player in the history of football, if Leeds United are forced to pay the full £24.5million by FIFA. The striker, who now plays for Basel in Switzerland, signed a five-year contract as part of the Whites' obligation to buy him from RB Leipzig back in January 2020.
The Whites have already agreed a settlement with RB Leipzig, having disputed that obligation to buy, with the football season curtailed after the Covd-19 pandemic. Augustin's loan deal was set to run until June of 2020, but he played just 49 minutes for Marcelo Bielsa's side.
Leeds would win promotion later that year when football resumed, but Augustin did not play. The Whites lost their case with CAS and FIFA have now ordered them to pay Augustin's contract in full, but reports claim the club are set to appeal, with the striker obligated to enter a mitigation period.
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Speaking on The Price of Football podcast, Maguire said: "Jean-Kevin Augustin played 49 minutes of football. He didn't settle, there were issues and I think Leeds took the view 'perhaps we could have fined him for various misdemeanours.'
"The club wasn't happy with him but they thought because the loan expired on the 30th June, we're not going to do anything else. FIFA disagreed and therefore Leeds were told they had to pay a fee and they agreed a fee of around about £15.5million with RB Leipzig so they didn't pay the full £24.5million and the player ended up in France and he's now playing in Basel in Switzerland.
"At the same time, when the obligation to buy contract was signed, at the same time we saw he'd signed a contract to play for Leeds United for five years. That contract is worth £24.5million including bonuses.
"He has appealed to FIFA and said 'given my obligation to be a Leeds player has been upheld, therefore my contract of employment has been upheld by FIFA as well.' That has proven to be the case.
"With regards to what is going to happen, he does have an obligation to mitigate any losses for Leeds. I think you can probably offset the money he's earning from Basel and other clubs from that.
"Leeds might be able to say 'we'd have sold him after 12 months and got a transfer fee, can we get some of that money back or is that part of the deal that they signed with Leipzig?' It is going to cost the club something in all probability.
"They are going to appeal and they're clearly unhappy about it. If the full amount becomes payable, it will work out, he'll probably be the most expensive footballer in the history of the game.
"If you look at his appearances, it would work out in total as £800,000 per minute as a professional footballer in this country."
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