Sources: Leeds faced with £100m+ bill as summer signing plan revealed
The Leeds United wage bill is set to soar beyond the £100million mark this season, Football Insider understands.
The vast outlays on expensive talent such as Raphinha, Diego Llorente and club-record signing Rodrigo last summer will be reflected in the club's next set of annual accounts.
A Leeds source has told Football Insider the club expect to have paid in excess of £100m on player wages this term.
That will include lucrative top-up bonuses to the first-team stars who have helped secure the club's Premier League status.
Fulham's draw against Arsenal last Sunday ended any possibility that Leeds, who are a comfortable 10th in the table, will not remain in the top flight.
United spent heavily on new signings - nearly £100million last summer - as well as investing heavily in youthful talent.
Although the jury is still out on some of the most expensive recruits - most notably Robin Koch, Rodrigo and Helder Costa - the spending has helped Marcelo Bielsa build an enterprising team.
The knock-on effect of the big spending in 2020 is that the salary bill has rocketed.
According to the club's most recently-published accounts, United’s wage bill was £78m for the year ending July 2020 compared to £46m for the previous season.
Revenues have, of course, rocketed for Leeds this season as they benefit from the vast Premier League broadcasting windfall as well as big increases in their shirt sponsorship and kit deals.
The word is, the source explained, that Leeds will invest again on top talent wanted by Bielsa in this summer's market.
Targets are being as Victor Orta's recruitment team work on strengthening the squad.
However, one of those arrivals will not be Ryan Kent, with Football Insider revealing earlier this week he has decided to snub Leeds' interest and remain at Rangers next season.