Exeter City will receive more than £1m after Leeds United signed Ethan Ampadu from Chelsea, club president Julian Tagg has said.
Leeds United’s summer business is finally underway. They’ve added a couple of new youngsters to their academy ranks but at least, a senior signing has been made in the form of versatile Welsh international Ampadu.
He signs from Chelsea for an initial £7m, though the deal includes add-ons that will take it to a higher fee.
The hope will be that the Whites can kick on from here and make more new additions to bolster Daniel Farke’s ranks after the Ampadu signing. It strengthens their options in defence and midfield significantly but Leeds aren’t the only side to benefit from the deal.
Exeter City – Ampadu’s former club – will also reap the benefits of this deal.
Club president Tagg has told BBC Sport that they will receive over £1m as part of the agreement after agreeing a sell-on clause in the deal that saw Ampadu join Chelsea as a teenager. He said:
“We haven’t got the specifics through but anybody that’s even a basic mathematician knows it’s going to be in excess of £1m, and we understand we will get the full details later.
“There’s further extras in the deal, as there always is in a deal between two clubs, and what we don’t know yet is the percentage sell-on, which is significant.
“If it’s 5% it’s not, but if it’s 50% it’s huge, but we don’t know that detail yet and we will be furnished with that in due course.”
A welcome boost
It will be interesting to see if further financial boosts come Exeter City’s direction as a part of Ampadu’s latest move but to land a seven-figure influx to start with certainly comes as a welcome development.
The hope will be that the Grecians can invest the funds back into the playing squad to boost Gary Caldwell’s hopes for next season. Either that or it can go back into the academy that produced Ampadu in the hope that another top talent or two can emerge from the ranks and break through at St. James’ Park in the years to come.
For Ampadu, he’ll be determined to prove himself in the Championship after multiple loan spells away from Chelsea. A permanent move allows him to properly settle at a permanent home and it will be hoped that can help him maximise his potential in the years to come.
