By Kieran Maguire

8th Jan, 2021 | 8:00pm

Exclusive: Finance expert shares £7.5m Leeds commercial deal reveal

Leeds United may be the Premier League’s must-watch side but global shirt sales could prove elusive as their kit deal is likely to be worth only £7.5million-a-year.

So says football finance guru and new Football Insider columnist Kieran Maguire, speaking exclusively to correspondent Adam Williams about the competition Leeds face in the international market.

Leeds owner Andrea Radrizzani has previously stated he expects the club to lose around £40million over the course of the Premier League season, with the coronavirus pandemic rendering matchday takings nonexistent.

With that in mind, the sports broadcasting tycoon may be looking to take advantage of other revenue streams, while in turn capitalising on the positive image generated by Bielsa’s impact on the club

One such avenue is international shirt sales, but Maguire doesn’t think Leeds will be making waves in this market any time soon.

He told Football Insider: “The problem with Leeds is they have a very committed domestic fanbase. But then you go to a place like Cyprus, everyone is wearing either Arsenal, Liverpool, or Manchester United shirts.

“So the question is how they go about turn a very good domestic fanbase into a big international fanbase. It’s a challenge I don’t think they can overcome.

“Manchester United’s deal with Adidas is worth £75m a season. With the Leeds kit deal, I suspect they’ll have done well to get a tenth of that. 

“They have sold a lot of shirts and Adidas will be delighted with that. But they are selling shirts in Leeds.

“Abroad, you’re competing for floor space and people sell what they know will be popular. If you’re a sports store in New York, first of all, you’re competing against basketball and NFL and the rest and then we talk about Manchester United, Real Madrid, PSG etc

“In the international market, they’re not just competing with the other 19 clubs in the Premier League, they’re competing with the biggest clubs in Europe. Leeds won’t be in that position for a long, long time. If they ever get there, it will be a big achievement.”

When it comes to the transfer market, Radrizzani has not been shy about opening his chequebook.

Leeds have spent close to £100m since their promotion to the top-flight, breaking their transfer record to sign Rodrigo from Valencia, among others.

In other news, a former European Golden Shoe winner has tipped a Leeds United striker to leave the club this January.