Bowyer set to start Leeds contract talks

Lee Bowyer has promised Leeds chairman Peter Ridsdale he will work out a new contract in the next few weeks.

Lee Bowyer has promised Leeds chairman Peter Ridsdale he will work out a new contract in the next few weeks.

Ridsdale has threatened to sell Bowyer this summer if the midfielder does not sign an extension to his current deal, which has just 16 months to run. The chairman is eager to complete talks as a contract has been on the table for the last six months.

Arsenal and Chelsea are understood to be monitoring Bowyer's position closely, with the midfielder rated at £15 million sterling despite a recent dip in form.

An agreement was initially struck that nothing would be signed until the conclusion of the re-trial at Hull Crown Court, where Bowyer was acquitted on charges of affray and grievous bodily harm with intent in a trial relating to an assault on a student.

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Solicitor David Geiss claims Bowyer is happy at Leeds. "We expect to be sitting down with Peter Ridsdale in the near future," he said.

The only stumbling block is likely to be the personal terms of the five-year deal, although Bowyer would see his pay packet rise from £16,000 to £25,000 per week.

PA