Leeds United fans may be wishing they had seen the last of Helder Costa when he joined Al-Ittihad on a loan-to-buy deal last summer, but his poor performances in Saudi Arabia suggest that he could soon be back in Yorkshire.

How much has Helder Costa cost Leeds?

Leeds signed the Angola international initially on loan from Wolverhampton Wanderers in the 2019/20 season and he played his part in the Whites' Championship title win, contributing four goals and six assists in 43 appearances for Marcelo Bielsa's side in the second tier.

Although he was a mainstay in that side, his lack of goal contributions in a free-flowing Leeds attack suggested that he was never likely to be a worthwhile addition on a permanent deal once they reached the far-tougher Premier League.

However, the Whites opted to pay £16m to bring him to Elland Road on a permanent deal in the summer of 2020, with the winger signing a four-year contract with the Yorkshire club.

He would struggle for regular game time under Bielsa in their first season back in the top flight, notching three goals and three assists in 22 Premier League appearances, so it was no surprise to see him loaned out to Valencia the following campaign.

There, he would endure a woeful time in front of goal, managing no goals and two assists in 27 appearances for the La Liga outfit, so it was no surprise when they showed no interest in making his deal permanent, with the former Portugal youth international returning to Elland Road last summer.

He was promptly sent out again by Jesse Marsch, this time linking up with former Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo at Al-Ittihad in Saudi Arabia.

Unfortunately, it could soon be a case of Déjà vu for Leeds, as his disappointing return of two goals and one assist in 16 appearances for the Saudi outfit suggests that they might not exercise their option to buy the 29-year-old this summer.

Costa would sign a £45k-per-week deal at Elland Road when he joined permanently, and when you include his loan spell, he has now been earning a wage with Leeds for 194 weeks now, although Valencia would pay half of his wages during his time in Spain.

Ahead of that move, he would take home £5,085,000 in 113 weeks at Leeds, with an included £22.5k-per-week for his 38 weeks in Valencia, totalling £855,000. Another £45k-per-week for the 43 weeks since then results in £1,935,000, meaning Leeds have paid Costa around £7,875,000 in wages.

Indeed, there is no doubt that Costa has rinsed Leeds and Andrea Radrizzani in his time in Yorkshire, costing Leeds about £24m since first arriving, a staggering sum of money.