NafisaLeeds United appear ready to draw a line under Lucas Perri’s time at Elland Road, but the goalkeeper’s impending departure is unlikely to represent the kind of financial return the club would have wanted when they signed him just over a year ago.
Perri is on the verge of joining Serie A side Torino after agreeing to the Italian club’s proposal, with Fabrizio Romano reporting that the transfer will initially be structured as a loan with an option to buy.
For Leeds, the move should provide some much-needed clarity around a goalkeeper who has fallen down Daniel Farke’s pecking order.
However, when the numbers are examined closely, the deal also appears likely to leave the Whites facing a loss on their original investment.
Lucas Perri’s Leeds spell has changed dramatically
Perri arrived at Leeds from Lyon last summer in a deal worth an initial £13.9 million, with the Brazilian expected to compete for the starting goalkeeper position.
He began the 2025/26 campaign as Farke’s first choice and was given the responsibility of protecting the Leeds goal during the club’s return to the Premier League.
But his position gradually became less secure.
Farke eventually removed Perri from the starting XI, and the goalkeeper has not played a Premier League match for Leeds since 7 January, when the Whites suffered a dramatic 4-3 defeat against Newcastle United.
The arrival of James Trafford has now pushed him even further down the hierarchy.
Trafford’s signing was a club-record investment and effectively made Perri’s future at Elland Road extremely difficult to see.
With the Brazilian now 28, a move away makes sense for all parties.
Torino’s deal is favourable to the Italian club
According to Romano, Torino will pay Leeds an initial £850,000 loan fee for Perri.
The agreement also contains an option for the Serie A club to make the transfer permanent next summer for approximately £11.9m.
That means Leeds could potentially receive around £12.75m in total if Torino exercise the option, compared with the initial £13.9m the Whites paid to sign him.
On the face of it, that represents a shortfall of roughly £1.15m before other costs and considerations are taken into account.
And that is assuming Torino eventually decide to activate the purchase clause.
If they do not, Leeds would simply receive the reported loan payment and Perri would return to Elland Road next summer.
That makes the arrangement relatively low-risk for Torino.
They get a goalkeeper for the upcoming season without committing immediately to a permanent transfer, while retaining the ability to walk away if he fails to convince them.
Leeds can still turn the situation into a positive
Despite the financial numbers, the deal is not necessarily bad business for Leeds.
The biggest benefit could come from removing an unwanted player from the squad and, importantly, from the wage bill.
Perri is no longer Farke’s first-choice goalkeeper following Trafford’s arrival, meaning keeping him at Elland Road would potentially leave Leeds paying significant wages to a player unlikely to feature regularly.
A successful loan spell in Turin could also change the situation entirely.
If Perri performs well in Serie A, Torino may decide to sign him permanently.
Even if they don’t, strong performances could attract interest from other clubs, potentially giving Leeds an opportunity to negotiate a higher fee than the current option.
That is perhaps the best-case scenario for the Whites.
James Trafford’s arrival changed everything
The timing of Perri’s departure is no coincidence.
Leeds made a huge commitment to Trafford after signing him from Manchester City, making it clear that the England international is expected to be the club’s long-term number one.
That left Perri with little realistic route back into Farke’s starting XI.
Rather than keeping an expensive goalkeeper on the bench, Leeds have opted to find a solution.
Financially, it may not be perfect.
But from a squad-building perspective, it makes sense.
Leeds can now concentrate on building their squad around Trafford while Perri gets the opportunity to revive his career in Italian football.
For the 28-year-old, Torino represents a fresh start after a difficult second season in England.
For Leeds, meanwhile, the priority will be ensuring that the Brazilian’s departure ultimately becomes more than simply an accounting loss.
If Perri can rediscover his best form in Serie A, the £11.9m option may not be the final word on his value — and that could yet give Leeds a way to turn an awkward transfer situation into a respectable piece of business.
Nafisa
