Leeds United transfer warning issued as Championship manager makes star man plea

With just three Championship games to go this season, Leeds United know the pressure is on ahead of their clash with Middlesbrough. The Whites have won just one of their last five league games and if they're to win automatic promotion, they cannot afford to let more points fall by the wayside.

Leeds know that a result at the Riverside Stadium on Monday night would be enough to carry them into the top two, with Ipswich not playing until next weekend, and that's exactly where they want to be. Ahead of the game, we take a look at some of the biggest headlines out there.

Championship boss makes plea

Sunderland interim manager Mike Dodds insists the club must do everything in their power to keep hold of Trai Hume this summer. Hume has been linked to Leeds United, Leicester City and a number of Premier League teams after catching the eye with the Black Cats this season.

The Northern Irishman, who joined from Linfield in 2022, has made 43 league appearances for Sunderland and despite the club struggling for traction over the second half of the season, Hume has continued to excel.

"Trai is a real positive to the recruitment of this football club,” Dodds told the Northern Echo about Hume. “You sign him for, and I mean with his the greatest of respect, what is essentially peanuts in the modern-day market and for me he’s one of the best full backs in the league.”

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“He’s a huge, huge asset and one the club needs to do everything to keep for as long as possible.”

Sharpe's transfer warning

Former Leeds United man Lee Sharpe expects to see key men leave Elland Road this summer should the club fail to win promotion to the Premier League. The Whites currently sit third in the Championship table, one point behind the automatic promotion pace, having picked up just one win in their last five games.

Of course, the Whites will claim a play-off spot if they can't finish inside the top two, but Wembley success is far from guaranteed and failure to go up this season will lead to the club having to cut their cloth accordingly.

“What sort of money are they on? Can the club afford to keep them? Do they have to get rid of them," Sharpe told The Real EFL.

“I’m sure they’ve got plans for all this but you would certainly think that a couple of the star players would certainly leave to Premier League clubs if they don’t get up this season."