Jean-Mattéo Bahoya’s loan deal at Leeds United will be made permanent once he has played ten games for the club.
The Frenchman joined Leeds on loan at the end of the summer transfer window from Eintracht Frankfurt. That deal includes an option for the deal to become permanent.
The 21-year-old is yet to break in under Daniel Farke, presumably because Leeds have enjoyed a strong start to the season. They’re one of just five unbeaten in the Premier League at this point.
To date he’s managed one appearance, totalling one minute, in the 0-0 draw with Crystal Palace before the international break. And that might have something to do with a clause in the transfer agreement with Frankfurt.
€30m fee agreed
BILD report today that the German side secured a nice deal for the Frenchman thanks to ‘the clever negotiating of Board Member for Sport Markus Krösche’ on deadline day.
Bahoya represents a potential ‘windfall’ as the mandatory purchase clause in the deal with Leeds kicks in once the Frenchman has played ten competitive matches. Frankfurt would then receive up to €30m, and they have a 15% sell-on clause.
The newspaper makes it clear that it is any appearance, worth any minutes. So, the one minute against Palace counts. Nine more appearances are needed to trigger the mandatory clause.
| Statistic | 2025/26: Frankfurt | 2026/27: Frankfurt + Leeds |
|---|---|---|
| Appearances | 37 | 2 |
| Minutes played | 1,646 | 29 |
| Goals | 4 | 0 |
| Assists | 4 | 0 |
| Goals + assists | 8 | 0 |
Premier League precedent
Whether he gets those, remains to be seen. Leeds will certainly be careful about it if they can avoid paying it at the end of the season.
It’s something we’ve seen before with other Premier League teams. Crystal Palace, for example, had Christantus Uche on loan from Getafe last season on a similar deal.
They were very conscious about the terms of that deal and Uche ultimately ended up ostracised from the squad – other than a handful of appearances – to ensure Palace didn’t sign him permanently. Now he’s back at the Spanish club, much to their disappointment.
It would not be surprising to see Bahoya in a similar situation, unless he can convince everyone at Elland Road that the €30m fee is a bargain.
