Leeds United transfer news: Leeds ‘ready’ to pursue £20m Wolves star, Whites ‘interested’ in Chelsea attacker

Leeds have moved swiftly this summer to secure deals to sign 21-year-old USA international attacking midfielder Brenden Aaronson and 24-year-old Denmark international right back Rasmus Kristensen in a £35m double swoop on RB Salzburg.

The Whites are also closing in on Bayern Munich’s 25-year-old holding midfielder Marc Roca and are known to be in the market for a striker, the addition of which Beckford believes would be key to progressing next term.

Leeds no 9 Patrick Bamford remains the club’s main forward option but the 28-year-old’s 2021-22 campaign was severely disrupted by injuries that limited him to just seven starts and only 559 minutes of Premier League football.

Dan James, Rodrigo, Tyler Roberts, Jack Harrison and exciting young teen Joe Gelhardt were all given minutes upfront in Bamford’s absence as part of a season in which the Elland Road outfit only secured their top-flight survival on the final day.

United discovered their fixtures for their third season back in the Premier League on Thursday and Beckford believes signing another striker option with different attributes to Bamford would have a double-effect in pushing Leeds on.

“Patrick has done fantastic and in his maiden season in the Premier League he ended up with 17 goals,” Beckford told the YEP.

“But he was blighted by injuries in this past campaign which has been extremely frustrating for himself on a personal level but for Leeds United as a football club as well.

“I always know that having been in those situations and experienced it first hand, when you have got competition for your place, it helps to propel you to that next level and that’s exactly what we need, that competition in every area.

“That’s where all the biggest clubs - the most successful clubs - become successful.

“You look at Manchester City for example.

“If Raheem Sterling is off form they bring in Jack Grealish or Riyad Mahrez or they have got so many players, incredible individuals but brilliant team players as well.

“I am not saying we are on the same level as that because we are not, not yet.

“But they have reinforcements in multiple areas to help them succeed and help them to push on throughout the course of the season and that’s exactly where we need to be.”

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