Leeds United stars Liam Cooper, Luke Ayling and Patrick Bamford could stick around at Elland Road beyond the summer, according to reports.

All three are out of contract at the end of the season, having been with the club through the highs of promotion to the Premier League and the lows of relegation back down the Championship under four different managers.

Daniel Farke has done a tremendous job of dealing with the turnover in the playing staff since taking over at the Peacocks during the summer. Leeds currently sit third in the table, seven points behind Ipswich Town, who are in the automatic promotion places.

A 1-0 win on Friday night away at runaway league leaders Leicester City proved to the rest of the division that Leeds are strong enough to push for a return to the top-flight. However, Farke is unwilling to lose three members of his first-team squad whose game-time has been limited this term.

Speaking in an interview with GIVEMESPORT, journalist Dean Jones revealed that the German coach is keen to keep club captain Cooper, Ayling and Bamford and it’s likely that the first two will sign new deals in 2024.

“I think it’s important that you have the experience of players like Cooper, Ayling and Bamford around the place, but of course, you want a freshness to come into the squad as well,” said Jones.

“You want a new generation of Leeds that you can identify with. They’ve been fantastic servants, particularly Cooper and Ayling, in terms of what they have bought, even recently to the club, and have been good in the Premier League.

“I still think that those guys will be around beyond this season. Both have the potential to sign new contracts in the new year. So, I can see why they’ll still be hanging around. I think that that depth is going to be important, and the mix of experience, as well as current quality, is going to be key to helping Leeds get over the line.”

The trio are all inside the top twelve earners at Elland Road this season. Bamford is on £70,000 per week which is the joint-highest at the club, while Cooper and Ayling each earn £25,000 per week.

Writer’s View

Keeping Ayling and Cooper at the club would be astute business by Farke and Leeds. While the duo don’t start many games anymore, they can still offer a lot of experience in what is quite a young changing room.

However, maintaining the services of Bamford does not seem beneficial. The former Middlesbrough striker has scored merely eight goals in all competitions for the first-team over the past three seasons and is the highest earner in the squad. It may be time to part ways with the injury-prone frontm