Leeds expect one last chance to persuade Jermaine Beckford to stay
Leeds United still hope that their prolific striker Jermaine Beckford will sign a new contract if they win promotion. Photograph: Anna Gowthorpe/PA
Leeds United will attempt to fight off interest from Everton and keep their leading scorer Jermaine Beckford if they win promotion to the Championship, according to their manager, Simon Grayson.
Beckford, who will become a free agent when his contract expires at the end of the season, is expected to leave Elland Road after turning down an improved deal before Christmas. Leeds, however, have so far resisted the temptation to cash in on the player during the transfer window, rejecting an offer of £1.25m from Newcastle United for the 26-year-old striker.
Over the past few weeks Grayson had given the impression of being resigned to losing him in May, and sources close to the player are suggesting he has already agreed basic terms to move to Everton.
But Grayson said today that Leeds had not given up. "It would be foolish not to try and keep him, and I'm sure once the season finishes, and hopefully we're in the Championship, there might be one sort of last contract offer towards him," he said.
"If rumours have it he's being linked to Premier League clubs, then that's obviously difficult for us to compete with, but while he's our player we expect him to keep performing and doing the job he's done for us."
Beckford, who has scored 20 goals this season, has failed to increase that total in three games (none of which Leeds have won) since scoring the winning goal in the FA Cup win against Manchester United at Old Trafford. But Grayson denied that the constant speculation may be beginning to affect the player.
"I don't think so – in fact I'd like to think if he gets better as a player and scores more goals, then he'll get more publicity and maybe, if he's after more money, then that's what he'll get.
"Whatever happens, nothing can be agreed now, nothing is legally binding with anybody you speak to. If he doesn't score from now till the end of the season – and hopefully he does – then his value will go down and he might not get the money he's looking for.
"If he scores another 20 odd goals it might be a bigger team that comes in for him than those that are rumoured to be in for him at this moment in time. Hopefully it's the latter, he gets loads of goals for us and maybe then moves on to bigger clubs, instead of average clubs he's being linked with."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/jan/21/jermaine-beckford-leeds-united
