This is the real reason Leeds United allowed Pascal Struijk to join Brighton

Pascal Struijk completed his move from Leeds United to Brighton earlier this week after the club were forced to accept an offer.

The 26-year-old was targeted by Fabian Hurzeler's side following the sale of Jan Paul van Hecke, who joined Tottenham last month, after it became clear the Leeds star was available.

With just one year remaining on his contract at Elland Road, the club opened the door to his departure, but that was not the only reason they allowed him to move on.

As I revealed on the latest edition of Football Insider's Transfer Insider podcast, lingering concerns about the club's profit and sustainability position played a big part in the sale.

Bringing in a £20million fee for Struijk is likely to give Daniel Farke's side more room to manouevre in the market without concerns about possible financial breaches.

The club were happy to do a deal at that price, despite having explored handing Struijk a new contract, and are now prepared to move on with their transfer plans.

What has the Leeds board said about their finances?

Former Man City financial adviser Stefan Borson told Football Insider that Leeds will face a difficult task in complying with fiancial regulations if they want to spend big this summer.

This comes after Leeds chairman Paraag Marathe confessed it could take "three long-fought seasons" before Leeds can operate on the same level as their Premier League rivals.

Last summer, Leeds spent in excess of £100million, but concerns about profit and sustainability rules may they may struggle to match that without sales.

Speaking on the Transfer Insider podcast, I explained: "Leeds don't want to lose anybody that's part of Daniel Farke’s first team squad.

"They've already, reluctantly, let Pascal Struijk leqave to join Brighton. That deal has been confirmed after they agreed a fee of £20million.

"That decision was made to help with any issues around profit and sustainability rules which have been a bit of a concern for Leeds.

"Also because of his contract situation, he only had one year left of his contract, so they thought it was shrewd business to let him move on."

What is next for Leeds after Pascal Struijk's sale?

After Leeds opted to cash in on Struijk, they are now likely to be forced into the transfer market in pursuit of a new centre-back to avoid weakening their squad.

Farke has been clear with his demands this summer and expects to be backed by the board, after calling on them to show ambition and build on their recent success.

As a result, former Man United chief scout Mick Brown told Football Insider that Leeds are accelerating plans to sign a new centre-back to immediately replace Struijk.

Leeds are determined not to weaken their squad this summer, and have identified a number of potential replacements who could be available.

Among those is Sporting CP star Ousmane Diomande who, despite his lofty price tag, has emerged as a leading target for Leeds and would be seen as a statement signing.