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Leeds United: Hitman's new deal plea
Jermaine Beckford's agent will seek contract talks with Leeds United this week in a bid to resolve the striker's long-term future.
Beckford is entering the final 12 months of his deal at Elland Road and his representative, Nick Rubery, plans to initiate discussions over an extension on the back of the forward's outstanding season.
The London-born striker became the first Leeds player since 1991 to score 30 goals in a single campaign. He finished the 2008-09 season with 34 to his name, the highest tally of any professional player in England.
It followed his first full year as a first-team player at Leeds when he scored 20 goals, but his position is uncertain after United's loss to Millwall in the League One play-off semi-finals last week.
The 25-year-old is one of the players likely to attract attention from higher divisions in the wake of Leeds' failure to reach the Championship, and he was linked with a move to Coventry City over the weekend.
United have given no indication that they plan to sell Beckford, but he is a year away from reaching the end of the contract he signed in October 2007 while Dennis Wise was manager at Elland Road, and Rubery told the YEP: "I'll be speaking to Leeds this week to discuss his position.
"He's got a year left on his contract and he needs to know where he stands.
"I don't know what Leeds are thinking with regards to their future plans and what part he might play in them, but it's something I need to clarify.
"Jermaine's scored a lot of goals in League One and he obviously wants to test himself at a higher level, but he's very open to the idea of signing a new contract with Leeds.
"He's not looking to move on, but his situation needs sorting out."
Rubery first made contact with Leeds about a new deal for Beckford around the turn of the year, but United made it clear shortly after appointing Simon Grayson as their manager in January that they did not intend to hold contract talks with any senior players until the end of the 2008-09 term.
Frazer Richardson, Jonathan Douglas and David Lucas are all out of contract this summer but were content to leave any negotiations until the close season, and Leeds are now expected to review Beckford's position with their League One campaign at an end.
The club's defeat in the play-offs, denying them a place in the Championship, is likely to affect the size of any offers they are able to make to Beckford, but United would risk losing their leading scorer on a free transfer next year if they fail to tie him down beyond the end of his current deal.
Rubery said: "I'd assume that Leeds would want to keep him, but I won't know their thinking until I speak to the relevant people.
"The situation's in their hands because we're very willing to listen to what they have to offer."
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Saturday 11 February 2012
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