Leeds United rejected a £22 million bid from German giants Borussia Dortmund for French attacker Georginio Rutter during the summer transfer window, according to Ruhr24.

Rutter joined Elland Road in January for an all-time club-record £36 million from Bundesliga side Hoffenheim, but he failed to score in his first six games.

He has been in better form this season under new boss Daniel Farke, scoring twice in his first three games in the Championship – one against Ipswich and the other at the Den against Millwall in their last game.

Rutter was a target for Borussia Dortmund in the summer window, with Ruhr24 reporting that they made a £22 million bid, but the German giants turned it down.

Dortmund’s bid was slightly less than the £14m Leeds paid in January for Rutter, but the board were unwilling to accept the bid.

Dortmund weren’t the only top-five team interested in Rutter. Telefoot reported that French giants Lyon were keen to sign the 21-year-old if they could secure the services of Barcola, a former Rennes forward.

Barcola eventually made the switch to PSG, but Leeds did not sell Rutter to them.

In the summer, the Yorkshire club went through an open heart surgery, with a number of key players leaving the club, but Rutter remained at the club and has been having a good season.

Rutter has played in the Bundesliga for two seasons, so it makes sense that Dortmund would be interested in bringing him to the Signing Iduna Park.

But the bid was too low to be accepted, and Rutter could be worth much more in the long-term. He is still only 21 years old and, if he gets his form back, he could turn into a star player.