Rodrigo addresses Leeds United future and his next…

Rodrigo addresses Leeds United future and his next steps with a contract entering final 18 months

Rushing into or stressing about the future or a new Leeds United contract is not on the agenda for Rodrigo right now. The club’s record signing has rattled through nearly two-and-a-half years at Elland Road and he is approaching the final 18 months of his deal.

Generally, clubs do not like prized assets entering, or even getting close to, the final 12 months of their terms, so Rodrigo will certainly be on Victor Orta’s radar for review in the near future. If the Spain international were looking for a bargaining position he could not have done much more in the opening weeks of this campaign.

Nine goals in 13 Premier League appearances have only been betterd by Erling Haaland, Harry Kane and Ivan Toney. As patches go, this is by far the deepest shade of purple Rodrigo has found since arriving from Valencia in 2020.

The four-year deal he signed after Orta broke United’s transfer record to sign him, has flown by with many ups, downs, injuries and illnesses which have made it hard for him to find a flow. While Patrick Bamford tries to stay injury-free, Rodrigo has stepped up in a big way this season.

Last summer represented a crossroads for him. At 31, Rodrigo possibly has one more top-level move in him if he wants it, while Leeds are right at the point where they must either tie him down with new terms, sell him in the next six months or let his contract run down.

“It’s difficult to say [what my future looks like],” he said. “Football can change for good or for bad in a really small time.

“I just can say I'm really happy in the club since I arrived here. I feel really well treated by everyone here, by people that work in the club, by the fans.

“My family adapt really well to England, and to the city as well. I feel really comfortable here and that's the only thing I can say because, as we know, it's not a question of what I want or what the club wants.

“Different things have to be involved together to try to do something, something else.”

Pascal Struijk, Diego Llorente, Jack Harrison and Robin Koch are among those with deals expiring in 2024, like Rodrigo. While they are all understood to be advancing with talks, the number 19 says there has been no sign of discussions on his future as yet.

However, the former Valencia man is not vexed by that. He remains confident in the remaining 18 months he has and still sees plenty of time for talks of that kind.

“It’s not a thing that makes me worry because, as you say, I still have this season and another year, so there is no rush,” he said. “Everyone is trying to do everything possible to achieve important things with the club. I just think about the next day, the next game and try to help the team as much as possible. We'll see.”

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