Leeds hope to sign up Bowyer

Leeds hope Lee Bowyer will now sign a new contract at Elland Road following the collapse of his £9m (€14.2m) move to Liverpool.

Chairman Peter Ridsdale claims the five-year deal, worth a reported £39,000 (€61,600) a week but rejected by Bowyer at the end of last season, remains on the table.

Ridsdale says manager Terry Venables will meet Bowyer to discuss his future when he arrives in Australia for the second leg of the club’s pre-season tour.

The controversial midfielder was flying out today to Melbourne where he would join up with Venables and his team-mates ahead of Saturday’s charity friendly against Chilean side Colo Colo.

Ridsdale hopes Bowyer could yet be persuaded to commit his future to Leeds and he said: “The offer of a new contract is still on the table for Lee.

“He will be discussing his future with Terry Venables when he arrives in Australia to join the rest of the squad.

“We want him to stay and whether he stays or not is now down to him.”

Bowyer has been making all the right noises since Gerard Houllier pulled the plug on his move to Liverpool on Sunday and he claims he is looking forward to a successful season with Leeds.

However he has only a year left on his current contract and Leeds do not want to lose the 25-year-old for nothing next summer.

Ridsdale is mindful of this scenario, but he believes both sides can make a fresh start.

He told the Yorkshire Post: “The only reason he was placed on the transfer list is because he refused to sign a new deal and we faced losing a valuable player on a Bosman free at the end of next season.

“That could still happen, of course, if Lee refuses to sign a new deal.

“It wouldn’t be ideal, but given that we have made every effort to prevent this by offering him a new contract I don’t see what more we could do to stop this from happening.”