Gradel Departs after Transfer Request
Leeds United have reluctantly accepted an offer from French club Saint-Etienne for Max Gradel.
The player, who joined Leeds for an initial fee of £200,000 when he moved permanently from Leicester in January 2010, submitted a transfer request earlier on Tuesday, stating his desire to secure a move to his 'native' France and play at the highest level for his career development.
There has been extensive interest in the player, who is out of contract at the end of the season, from both clubs in England and France, however we were reluctant to agree to a domestic transfer that could potentially harm our promotion ambitions.
The player is to undertake a medical examination on Wednesday and the fee will remain undisclosed.
Max has scored 25 goals in 81 appearances for United since joining the club, initially on loan from Leicester City in October 2009.
The player, who won his first international caps while with the club, played a part in the team which won promotion from League One in 2009/10 and also figured prominently on our return to the Championship last season. www.leedsunited.com
Very disappointed to see Max leave us, he is a really top player on his day, even though he's handed in a transfer request i still have a lot of respect for him. He may have almost cost us promotion a year ago but he more than made up for it with his performance last season, he was a real driving force, top scorer and player of the season which he fully deserved. I think he will be a massive hit in France and i see him making his way into the first team plans for the Ivory Coast very shortly. A massive prospect and i wish him all the best in the future! Now to Simon Grayson, i hope he has a replacement in mind! the transfer window shuts tomorrow night and yes Ramon Nunez can come in and do a good job but we will need at least some sort of back-up for him. Lets wait and see! MOT!
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