Leeds could spare Snodgrass

Leeds United manager Neil Warnock has admitted his uncertainty over the future of highly rated forward Robert Snodgrass.

The Scottish attacker, who has scored 41 goals in 193 appearances for the Whites, is out of contract at the end of next season and has been attracting interest from Premier League.

And Warnock confessed that he will be forced to listen to offers for the 24-year-old but underlined his desire to keep him until at least January.

“My gut feeling is I’m not too sure,” he told the Yorkshire Evening Post.

“I’d imagine his agents are talking to everybody and it depends who comes in and the telephone money they talk about. But they’d still have to agree a fee with us.

“For us to let him go this summer, the fee would have to be very big. There’ll be no getting away from that. I’ve said to the chairman (Ken Bates) ‘if we have to keep him until Christmas, we keep him until Christmas’.

“If I get six months out of him with the team I’ve got and he wants to stay here on the same money then good luck to him. I’d like to keep Rob until at least Christmas.

“What I’ve said to him is ‘sign your contract. If we’re nowhere near by Christmas then I’ll sell you at Christmas. If by the end of the season we don’t go up then I’ll make sure you’re in the Premier League’.’ I don’t think I can do any more than that.”

The 63-year-old coach also conceded that due to Snodgrass’ contract situation, the club will have to take a cut-price fee for him.

“It would be (a lower fee) but I’ve told the chairman it’s important to keep Robert,” Warnock said.

“But there are situations where if someone offers a realistic fee for him and I’ve got players lined up or in my mind who I can spend the money on – and I know that I’m going to get that money – then you never say never. I’ll have to play it by ear with Rob’s situation.”