Former Leeds United star Patrick Bamford's future takes new twist
A former Leeds United star is a wanted man as his future with a Championship club remains in the balance.
Former Leeds United stalwart Patrick Bamford is reportedly close to signing a new deal with Championship club Sheffield United amid reports of interest from second tier rivals Ipswich Town.
The once-capped former England international joined the Blades on a short-term deal in November after his release from the Whites was confirmed just over two months earlier. Bamford has made an immediate impact at Bramall Lane after scoring five goals to help Chris Wilder’s side move away from the Championship relegation zone with a run of just two defeats in their last ten games.
Bamford’s short-term deal is set to come to an end over the next week and journalist Alan Nixon has claimed Ipswich are ‘keeping a keen eye’ on talks over a new contract after Blades manager Wilder stressed his was keen to tie down Bamford to a longer agreement over the coming days.
He told The Star: “I'm pushing as much as I can - but obviously there's a negotiation involved in it, and there will be an attraction from other clubs because of what he's done. So that was the gamble of bringing him in. He wanted to sign a short-term deal as well, so it's not that we didn't give him a longer-term deal. That's the road that he wanted to go down.
“He's backed himself, which is good, and we've backed ourselves in terms of a club and what we can give him. So it's pretty much a balancing act, what we've given Pat and what he's given us. I think we're a good fit for him and he's a good fit for us. So hopefully, yes, we can get that over the line in mid-January.”
What did Patrick Bamford say about leaving Leeds United?
Speaking in the immediate aftermath of his departure from Elland Road, Bamford posted an emotional social media message as he reflected on his time with the Whites. After initially joining Leeds during the summer of 2018, Bamford went on to become a two-time promotion winner and scored 60 goals and provided 25 assists in 205 appearances in all competitions. The former Middlesbrough and Chelsea striker also earned a first call-up to the senior England squad and landed his first and only cap when he played for over an hour in a 4-0 Wembley win against Andorra in September 2021.
Posting following the news he had left Leeds in August, Bamford said: "Right now, with the way it has come to an end and the way things have been handled recently it is all too raw for me to reflect on immediately. But in the years to come I will look back at this period of my life with nothing but joy and pride and be super happy with what I have achieved. I want to thank all the managers I played under but especially Marcelo Bielsa. I don't know where the club would be without the foundations he laid."
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