Jermaine Beckford is going nowhere - for now!
Jermaine Beckford expects to join his Leeds United team-mates for pre-season training as planned next week as he awaits the first offer for his services.
The transfer-listed striker is increasingly certain that he will be involved in the early stages of United's close-season schedule after so far failing to attract one bid from a rival club.
Beckford has been on the transfer list at Elland Road sinADVERTISEMENTce May 26 when his rejection of a new contract offered by Leeds saw him placed on the market, but United's players will sign in at Thorp Arch for the first morning of pre-season training next Thursday and Beckford's camp do not anticipate any major transfer movement before then.
Leeds' failed contract offer and their subsequent decision to auction Beckford for the right price seemed to signal the end of his career with the League One side, but he has 12 months to run on his current deal and United will only allow him to leave if their asking price – thought to be a seven-figure sum – is met.
A number of Championship managers are known to be interested in Beckford, who scored 34 goals for Leeds last season, but his departure this summer is not yet certain and both United manager Simon Grayson and chairman Ken Bates have intimated that he could still play a part in the club's new campaign.
Bates remarked last week that he was "looking forward to him scoring another 30 goals next season" when asked about Beckford's future, while Grayson admitted he would be "delighted" if Beckford was still available to him on August 8.
The striker should be involved in the opening sessions of pre-season training and may also be present for the first friendly of the summer at York City on Sunday, July 12, and his agent Nick Rubery insisted today that recent events would not affect Beckford's commitment.
Rubery said: "We're almost at the end of June and there hasn't been a bid for Jermaine as far as I'm aware.
"He'll be getting himself ready to start training with Leeds again next week.
"It's difficult to see anything changing drastically before then so he'll be expecting to report back with everyone else and start the summer as normal.
"None of this is going to affect his commitment to the club.
"He didn't ever ask to leave Leeds – from our point of view, we felt that the contract he received was offered at too low a level and impossible for him to accept.
"But going back to the club is no problem for him and that'll be the case whether it's the start of pre-season or the start of the season itself.
"There was always a possibility that Jermaine might still be a Leeds player next season because he's still under contract and that would be fine by him if it happens.
They’re going to get 100 per cent from him for as long as he’s their player.â€
The lack of concrete bids for Beckford has not prevented Grayson from considering closely the players he might attempt to sign if he is forced to find a replacement, buADVERTISEMENTt United’s manager will only make his move for a new recruit once Beckford’s exit becomes certain.
The three-year deal offered to the former non-league player last month was understood to have represented an increase on the wage he secured when Leeds tied him to a fresh contract in October 2007 while Dennis Wise was manager at Elland Road.
But the recent proposal was promptly turned down by Beckford and has not been improved by the club.
His inclusion on the transfer list was an indication that the initial terms put forward by the club represented a final offer, and Leeds have been forced to consider his sale with the striker’s contract entering its last 12 months and his financial worth set to diminish rapidly as the deal winds down.
The forward remains a valuable asset at present, and his profile has risen rapidly as a result of two full seasons at Elland Road, in which he has scored a total of 54 goals.
Beckford struck 20 during the 2007-08 term and improved on that figure impressively last season, striking 34 times in 42 appearances. The tally was enough to earn him League One’s golden boot, ahead of a clutch of other forwards who passed the 30-goal mark.
His partnership with Argentinian striker Luciano Becchio was one of the success stories of last season, yielding a combined haul 53 goals for United, but the prolific pairing is in danger of being broken up with interest in Beckford likely to intensify this month.
The start of the 2009-10 term is fully six weeks away but Rubery said: “Jermaine’s away on holiday at the moment and I don’t think he’s given a lot of thought to what might happen.
“He’s perfectly happy to stay at Leeds and he’d also be happy to discuss his contract if they wanted to come forward with another offer.
The fact that he’s on the transfer list probably means that the offer they’ve made is a final offer.
“Nobody can say what’s going to happen over the summer but he’ll be professional and take things as they come.
“He’s very relaxed about the situation and he’s not going to have a problem with anyone.â€
YEP
