Chelsea transfer for £20m Leeds star falls through despite Blues triggering release clause

The £20million move which would have seen Tyler Adams leave Leeds United has reportedly fallen through despite Chelsea activating his release clause.

Adams looked likely to become the ninth player to leave Elland Road this summer. A number have left on loan deals, while Rodrigo and Joel Robles have left permanently, and Adam Forshaw was released.

Other than the exit of Rodrigo, Adams’ departure would have hit Leeds the hardest. The American midfielder was one of few shining lights in the Whites’ side last season.

A relegation clause in his contract looked to have ensure he was going to move away, though. Indeed, Chelsea activated that clause for £20million, and a report stated the midfielder was to have his medical the following day.

Despite the clause being activated, it seems things have fallen through. Indeed, Sky Sports‘ Dharmesh Sheth reports talks have ‘broken down’ over the proposed move as the ‘parties were unable to reach an agreement’.

That would suggest the deal falling through was due to personal terms not being able to be reached. Indeed, Leeds had little say on the transfer, owing to the fact the release clause was met.

It does seem somewhat strange that a club the size of Chelsea, who look like they should be able to bounce back from a woeful 12th-placed finish in the Premier League last season, would be unable to agree terms with a player who’s set for a season of Championship football.

Not only would he be returning to a better level, at a bigger club, but the Blues would likely be able to offer him a better contract than the one he’s on at Leeds, given how much money there seems to be within the club.

While it’s only possible to speculate, Adams may have wanted guarantees over playing time. The midfielder missed 14 games for the Whites last season due to a hamstring injury, but played all of the other Premier League games.

As such, if he wasn’t sure he was going to be offered regular football, he may have decided the move wasn’t right for him.

With the move having fallen through, Sheth reports Adams is ‘expected to return to Leeds’ after they thought they had lost him. Of course, there’s potential for another side to activate his release clause again, but it remains to be seen if that happens.

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