Radz set for Leeds disaster on £18m-rated "machine", it'd be an unforgivable decision - opinion

Leeds United centre-forward Patrick Bamford is attracting increasing interest ahead of the summer transfer window.

That’s according to a report by the Daily Mail, who claim that, should the Whites go on to suffer relegation from the Premier League on Sunday, Newcastle United could make a move for the 28-year-old striker in the off-season.

The report goes on to state that a new centre-forward is Eddie Howe’s priority in the summer transfer window, with it being claimed that the Magpies have a transfer budget of around £60m plus player sales to work with in their hunt for a new frontman.

While Leeds are by no means considering the prospect of playing Championship football next season just yet, should the Whites fail to secure their Premier League status against Brentford on Sunday, the argument that selling Bamford would be an unforgivable decision by Andrea Radrizzani is an easy one to make.

Indeed, the £18m-rated forward proved influential in helping the Whites secure a return to the top flight over his 45 Championship appearances back in 2019/20, scoring 16 goals, registering two assists and creating six big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 3.2 shots and making 0.5 key passes per game.

The £74k-per-week striker then undoubtedly proved his Premier League quality over 38 outings last season, bagging 17 goals, providing seven assists and creating five big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 2.8 shots and making 0.8 key passes per game.

These returns saw the England international average an extremely impressive SofaScore match rating of 7.01, ranking him as Marcelo Bielsa’s seventh-best player in the top-flight – with the 28-year-old playing a key role in Leeds securing a