'Great news' - Patrick Bamford on Champions League aim with Leeds United, reported Tottenham interest and signing new Whites deal

Spurs were reportedly interested in United's no 9 whose previous Whites contract expired next summer but Bamford has penned terms on a fresh five-year deal at Elland Road.

The 27-year-old netted 17 times last season upon his side's Premier League return, helping to fire the newly-promoted Whites to a ninth-placed finish.

Bamford finished the campaign as the division's highest scoring Englishman and is firmly on Gareth Southgate's Three Lions radar, despite having not been selected for his nation's Euro 2020 squad.

But stepping out for England remains a firm ambition for Bamford - as does, in time, firing Leeds to the Champions League.

"I think that the club should be aiming for Europe and it's something that the club has tasted before," said Bamford to BBC Radio Leeds, asked about Champions League dreams.

"Obviously many years ago now they were involved in Europe quite heavily so that's something that I want to try and push towards and that's a dream of mine, to play in the Champions League, to try and, not make a name for myself but taste it and be able to enjoy that kind of thing.

"Hopefully with Leeds is the idea. It might not happen in the next one or two years but that's the idea of the long term future, to see if we can achieve that together."

Asked about the reported interest from Spurs and if his head was ever turned in any way, Bamford reasoned: "Obviously it's stuff that you hear about and you kind of get to learn about what is going on in the transfer window, especially this kind of time where it seems to be going a little bit nuts this year.

"But to be honest it's more the kind of thing that you take with a pinch of salt.

"It's flattering obviously to be linked with these kind of things but you know that so much stuff goes on and gets talked about and there are rumours flying about that it's better as a footballer to acknowledge that they are going on but not really think too much into it and not really get dragged into the hype."

Explaining the process from start to finish of signing his new Whites deal, Bamford said: "It is something that has kind of been discussed since the back end of the season really, maybe even a little bit before and it kind of went over the summer period.

"There were just lots of little things that needed sorting out but the main thing was tying down my long term future to this club.

"That was something that I wanted and was kind of pushing for so we signed the contract until 2026 which obviously is great news.

"I am really happy about it and it definitely puts the immediate future for the next four or five years here.

"I feel like we can really achieve something here and that was something just to get it done as quickly as possible and get it out of the way before the season started so I can go into it with a clear mind."

https://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/sport/football/leeds-united/yorkshire-evening-post-launch-leeds-united-only-digital-subscription-ahead-premier-league-campaign-2967964

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Thank you Laura Collins