Leeds United are likely to invite offers for Patrick Bamford in the January transfer window, according to Football League Paper journalist Chris Dunlavy.
Bamford, 29, is yet to make a matchday squad this season due to a hamstring injury he sustained in a friendly against Hearts.
He’s expected to return after the international break but Dunlavy doesn’t see how the one-time England international will be able to feature in Daniel Farke’s plans.
Writing in the print edition of The Football League Paper on Sunday (3 September, page seven), Dunlavy said: “Now the club has a new striker in Joel Piroe, the question must be asked – does Bamford have a future at Elland Road?
“Piroe is the undisputed first choice. Not only did the Dutchman cost £10m from Swansea, he has scored 44 Championship goals in two seasons. That cannot be ignored.
“Georginio Rutter is also guaranteed to start when fit, if only to justify the eye-watering £30m fee that Leeds paid Hoffenheim in January.
“With Willy Gnonto also capable of playing up front, that leaves Bamford as – at best – third-choice. Can a man who played for England really stomach that?
“More to the point, Bamford signed a £70,000-a-week [contract] that does not expire until 2026. Financially, it makes very little sense to keep a £30,000-a-week substitute on your balance sheet, and it would be highly surprising if Leeds did not actively invite offers in January.”
Bamford would have more than likely taken a pay cut after Leeds were relegated from the Premier League.
Is Bamford leaving Leeds?
It’s unlikely that this short-term injury would have stopped clubs from buying Bamford in the summer transfer window.
It’s more likely that clubs are put off by the fact he’s played just 42 times in all competitions since the end of the 2020/21 season when he scored 17 times in the Premier League.
Last season, his appearances on the pitch were limited to mainly being sub appearances or being around an hour if he started. He averaged just 54 minutes per Premier League appearance, of which he made 28.
He scoured four goals with two of them being consolations in a 5-1 defeat to Crystal Palace and a 4-1 defeat to Bournemouth.
If Leeds are paying him £30,000-a-week to be a benchwarmer – or just another name on the injury list – in the Championship then something needs to be done about that in January.
But the problem is that it’s unlikely many clubs will want to sign him.
Obviously, it won’t be a Premier League club coming in for Bamford and Leeds may be against a Championship move due to the chance of him coming back to bite them.
What could happen is that Bamford leaves on a loan-to-buy basis in January or maybe even heads elsewhere in the world. Would a Rangers or Celtic want him? What about a team in Saudi Arabia? There have been stranger transfers.
In other Leeds United news, one Sky Sports pundit picked out the “key” player to the Whites this season
