Leeds United have already scouted potential Patrick Bamford replacement: View | OneFootball

Leeds United need to take a look at their forward department when the summer transfer window opens.

With their budget likely to be limited following their play-off final against Southampton, they may only be able to do a certain amount in the market, although they are already blessed with some talented options up top.

Georginio Rutter operates in midfield more frequently now, meaning he can't be counted as an option up top, but Joel Piroe can be an asset there and so can Patrick Bamford, with the pair scoring plenty of goals between them during the 2023/24 campaign.

Mateo Joseph and Joe Gelhardt can also operate as strikers, although the former is probably more of an asset than the latter, and it wouldn't be a surprise to see Gelhart leave Elland Road this summer.

Their striker department may not look bad on paper at the moment, but they may need to address it sooner rather than later, with Willy Gnonto, Georginio Rutter and Crysencio Summerville all likely to be linked with moves away in the coming months.

All three have been real threats in the final third in the past year, so losing any of them would require the Whites to recruit a replacement.

Patrick Bamford isn't guaranteed to be at Leeds United next season

Considering the likes of Gnonto and Summerville are likely to steal the transfer headlines this summer, not much attention has been paid to Bamford and his future.

He still has two years left on his contract, but Graeme Bailey hasn't ruled out an exit for the striker during the upcoming window.

"Coming back to Jebbison, they are wanting to assess the forward department," he told Leeds United News.

"They want to address their attackers, Bamford being one of them.

"He is on big money, though, do we see him going to the bottom of the Premier League?

"Quite possibly, England international but I wouldn’t be surprised to see Bamford going."

Kieffer Moore could be a good replacement for Patrick Bamford at Leeds United

AFC Bournemouth striker Kieffer Moore was the subject of interest from Leeds during the January window, but he made the loan move to Ipswich Town instead.

Playing a considerable part in the Tractor Boys' promotion at the end of last term, the Welshman has been able to put himself in the shop window and it wouldn't be a surprise if the Whites throw their hat back in the ring for him.

Registering seven goals in 29 appearances for Kieran McKenna's side, he has proved once again that he can be a real asset at this level, and he would be an excellent fit at Elland Road for numerous reasons.

Firstly, he's the right type of striker for Leeds, as someone who can be a physical presence up front and play there on his own.

Moore also knows the likes of Ethan Ampadu and Dan James already from their time together in the Wales national team, so it may not take him too long to settle in if he did make the move to West Yorkshire.

The Welshman may be 31 now, but Leeds will need an experienced replacement for Bamford if he goes, with Piroe still reasonably young and the Whites having other inexperienced options up top.

One barrier that could prevent an agreement from being struck is his potential price tag, with the Cherries unlikely to loan him out again, knowing he only has one year left on his contract on the south coast.

That means Daniel Farke's side may need to cough up a decent fee to secure his signature, but they may be able to do this if they make some key sales this summer, something they could easily do considering there's unlikely to be a shortage of interest in some of their star players.

With Leeds already knowing the player after reportedly taking an interest in him back in the winter, they could potentially attempt to execute an early-summer move for him to beat others to his signature.

If they did manage to recruit him, he could be a game-changer for the Whites as they look to return to the top flight at the second time of asking.