‘100 per cent’: Liverpool legend says he would have jumped at the chance to join Leeds United

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Former Liverpool striker John Aldridge has admitted he would’ve ‘100 per cent’ made the move to Leeds United back in the 1990s.

Aldridge was speaking on the We Are Liverpool Podcast, where he looked back on his career and how interest from Howard Wilkinson did not to amount to a move to Elland Road.

The 65-year-old was one of the most prolific strikers of his generation with his tally of 330 career league goals in England the sixth highest of all time.

However, it was at Real Sociedad when Leeds showed an interest in signing Aldridge, who spoke of how Wilkinson personally came and scouted him in an away match at Barcelona.

Aldridge scored twice in that match as Sociedad ran out 3-1 winners at the Camp Nou, with his goal record in Spain equally as prolific as it had been in England.

Aldridge says he would’ve ‘100 per cent’ joined Leeds

Amid interest from Leeds, Aldridge handed in a transfer request at Sociedad as he sought a move back to England, with the idea that a transfer was going to happen.

In the end, however, Leeds never ended up submitting a formal offer for Aldridge, something which left him surprised and disappointed given how much he wanted the move.

He said: “I had just scored my eighth goal against Barcelona in six games at the Camp Nou and Howard Wilkinson was watching that game when he was at Leeds. I actually thought, Leeds, big club, I will have a bit of that. As soon as we beat Barcelona 3-1 in my last away game, I scored two, I thought it’s got to be on.

“The club wanted £400,000 for me but he didn’t come in for me for some reason. I don’t know what that was all about. Would I have gone to Leeds? 100 per cent.”

In the end, Aldridge ended up making the move to Tranmere Rovers, which ended up being the club he ended his playing career, and started in management at.

Had he made the move to Leeds, he would’ve added a second Division One title of his career to his list of honours, as the Whites went onto pip Manchester United to the trophy in the final season before the Premier League rebrand.