Leeds United: Dundee front man claims Whites like look of him

Dundee striker Greg Stewart has claimed that Leeds United are monitoring him ahead of a likely departure from the Scottish club this summer.
Greg Stewart.Greg Stewart.
Greg Stewart.

Stewart, 26, hinted at the possibility of a move to Elland Road by saying “top teams like Leeds United and Rangers are interested in me” amid mounting speculation about his future.

The forward, who was scouted by former Leeds head coach Steve Evans last season, is a year away from the end of his contract and turned down the offer of an extension earlier in the summer.

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Dundee have not returned to him with an improved deal and the club are expected to cash in on a player valued in excess of £1m.

Despite Evans watching Stewart, he was not among the list of players recommended by the Scot prior to his departure from Elland Road. Evans was replaced by current head coach Garry Monk in the first week of June.

Stewart – a former oil refinery worker who joined Dundee from Cowdenbeath in 2014 – scored 11 goals last season in partnership with 25-goal forward Kane Hemmings.

Speaking on Dundee’s pre-season tour of Austria, Stewart told The Courier: “Sometimes I think ‘wow’ — three years ago I was working at Grangemouth (refinery) and now top teams like Leeds United and Rangers are interested in me.

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“I want to be somewhere I can play my best football. Whether it’s at Dundee we’ll just have to wait and see. I have ambitions, just like most people. I want to play at the highest level I possibly can.”

Leeds went into this summer looking for goalscorers and the club signed Swedish striker Marcus Antonsson from Kalmar last week for a fee rising to £2m.

An agreement with Sporting Lisbon brought young French forward Hadi Sacko to Elland Road on a season-long loan on Tuesday.

United turned to the Scottish leagues a year ago when they signed Lee Erwin from Motherwell but the 23-year-old has struggled to make an impact at Elland Road and is being linked with a loan move elsewhere. Bradford City, however, have distanced themselves from talk of a bid for Erwin.

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Leeds, meanwhile, stand to receive a seven-figure windfall this summer if Leicester City goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel departs the KP Stadium. Schmeichel, who played for Leeds during the 2010-11 season, is being strongly linked with a £17m move to Everton after winning the Premier League title last season.

Leeds’ deal to sell Schmeichel to Leicester in 2011 is understood to have included a sell-on clause worth 10 per cent of any fee over £1.2m.