By Andy Baggott
May 20 2004

Everton were today the latest team to bid for Leeds’ Alan Smith, with a figure of just under £7 million turned down. His agent though has declared that the player favours a move to Manchester United, something that the Leeds fans will find hard to understand. Smith has always proclaimed himself a Leeds fan through and through, and the thought of someone idolised at Elland Road wanting to join our biggest rivals has seen the player come under fire from the supporters, who feel that a true Leeds fan would never play for Man Utd. If the player is set on the move, it seems just a matter of the board holding out for as much as they can get. Man U will play the game carefully now, thinking they hold all the cards, but the Leeds board are determined to hold out and get a figure of around £8 million before they let the forward talk to Lancashire side. The one fact on their side is that Smith is under contract. Where Kewell threatened to see out the last year of his contract, and leave for free if we didn’t allow him to join Liverpool, Smith doesn’t have that luxury. The board can make the player stay, unless they receive an offer that is deemed acceptable.