OPINION
Leeds United can kiss goodbye to promotion if the stampede of interest in Kemar Roofe results in him leaving the club this month.
There is no dispute that Roofe, along with Pablo Hernandez and Pontus Jansson, is one of the three key players in Marcelo Bielsa’s squad as they prepare for the second half of the season.
Even the Spanish maestro and Swedish defensive kingpin are not quite as vital as the 13-goal top scorer, who has developed this season into one of the Championship’s most potent front men.
It must surely be top of the Leeds board’s to-do list to extend the contract of Roofe, whose current deal expires in the summer of 2020.
He will enter the final 12 months of his deal at the end of the season and fans will need no reminding of how Chris Wood quit for a Premier League club at a similar juncture following a goal-laden Championship campaign.
BBC Sport report widespread interest in prising Roofe from Elland Road this month, with Wolves, Crystal Palace, Southampton, Palermo among the clubs linked with him.
Should their interest be extended to a January transfer that would net Leeds multi millions but leave a gaping hole in terms of goal potential, it is difficult to see the club ending their 15-year Premier League exile.
The 25-year-old is too good, and too important, to be offloaded, even for a massive fee.
His recent performances, including in the New Year’s Day defeat to Nottingham Forest and the remarkable three stoppage-time goals in back-from-the-dead victories, demonstrated his skill, touch and ability to score all kinds of goals.
Bielsa has worked wonders this season but even if he couldn’t plug such a hole in quality.
For Leeds and their manager, the roof would cave in if Roofe left.