Patrick Bamford would welcome Erling Haaland as ‘competition’ at Leeds

The Norwegian has spoken about his affection for the Whites and was born in Yorkshire

Bamford says he would relish the competition to play with Haaland (Getty)

Patrick Bamford has joked that he would “relish” the opportunity to compete alongside Erling Haaland if the Borussia Dortmund striker ever joined Leeds.

The 20-year-old grew up supporting the Whites and was born in Yorkshire during his father’s spell at Elland Road.

Haaland spoke previously about the goal of winning the Premier League title with Leeds, while his form in the Bundesliga and Champions League has seen him linked with the best sides in Europe.

But Bamford was happy to entertain the idea of Haaland joining Leeds when quizzed about the hypothetical situation on The Official Leeds United Podcast, insisting: “I relish the competition!”

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The link to Leeds came back when Haaland played for Molde, where he spoke about his admiration for the club and the potential to one day lead the club to glory.

“I want to be the best possible,” the Norwegian told Afternposten. “The dream is to win the Premier League with Leeds.

“In addition, the goal is to become a better player than my dad was. I hope to get more caps than he did.”

Haaland clearly follows the progress of Leeds despite starring for Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga, having requested to swap shirts with Stuart Dallas after Norway faced Northern Ireland last year.

“He walked behind me and asked about swapping shirts. It probably wasn’t the smartest thing to do, because we’d just been beaten 5-1 and I’m laughing on camera,” Dallas told Talk Sport.

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“It probably didn’t look too good. I thought he meant inside, but he shouted at me and asked to do it now.

“We did it and then he leaned into me and said, ‘Marching on Together!’

“It was a bit strange. I’ve known the Leeds connection with his father and it’s nice that he wanted my shirt.”