Graham Smyth expects £10m man to leave Leeds United next summer after spending six years at Elland Road

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Leeds United will have a few decisions to make on the futures of their current players next summer, no matter what division Leeds and Daniel Farke find themselves in.

Promotion to the Premier League will see Leeds forced into offloading some of their fringe players. But another season in the Championship could see a handful of players leave for top-tier clubs next summer.

Sam Byram, Josuha Guilavogui and Junior Firpo are out of contract but there are many others who find themselves in a position of uncertainty, especially if Leeds do go and get themselves promoted this term.

Certainly, up front, there are likely to be a couple of exits in the next 12 months. Joe Gelhardt’s future at Leeds seems almost zero while Patrick Bamford may choose to go, given he is now third choice at Leeds.

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Graham Smyth expects £10m man to leave Leeds next summer

Bamford, 31, is struggling for game time. The one-time England man has failed to start a Championship match this season, with the former Chelsea man still struggling to avoid injuries and remain fit for Farke.

Discussing Joel Piroe’s future on the Inside Elland Road podcast, Yorkshire Evening Post reporter Graham Smyth says he expects Bamford to leave next summer and a new striker to be signed, if Leeds go up.

“In my head, next summer, Bamford leaves. That means Leeds will already be one down. I would probably be thinking we’ll get a 9 but keep Piroe, very good finisher, as a sub and keep Mateo Joseph to develop.”

Who could Leeds target to replace Bamford next summer?

Whether or not £10m Bamford does want to leave remains to be seen. But for a player that has played in the Premier League and won an England cap, surely warming the bench can’t be a long-term solution.

Unlike in recent seasons, there aren’t any particular stand-out strikers in the Championship. West Brom’s Josh Maja, Coventry’s Haji Wright and Stoke’s Tom Cannon are the leading centre-forward goalscorers.

It might be that Leeds pursue a striker from the Premier League or go afar and look to bring in a player not yet proven on these shores. But one thing is for sure, Bamford’s time at Leeds is coming to an end.

Bamford has himself admitted he wanted to leave Leeds after relegation, while Carlton Palmer has urged his old club to cash in on a player who is supposedly one of the club’s top earners despite his minutes.