Wednesday 23 December 2015 14:39, UK
Leeds head coach Steve Evans has implied talented youngster Sam Byram could be sold in January if he does not sign a new contract.
Byram's future has been a topic of much discussion this season and he is due to become a free agent in the summer, having turned down a new deal earlier in the campaign.
And Byram, who can play at right-back or as a right winger, proved his worth to the club when he bagged a brace during a 3-2 victory at Wolves last week.
Evans says that, while he would like the 22-year-old to remain at Leeds, he would prefer to sell the player when the transfer window opens rather than see him walk away in a few months.
"I said to Sam two or three weeks ago that me and him would just concentrate on the football and let the other people talk and see where it goes," said Evans.
"If Sam Byram wants to play with an ambitious football club, with unbelievable support and infrastructure, then he is at that club. I have always said that, come the end of the season, he can't just walk away.
"Any football club, if they are keen on Sam Byram, we would assume, rightfully, that they would come for him in January, as opposed to waiting until the summer. He has to sign a new contract or I will have to take further instruction.
"I am in charge of what happens on the grass and I am in charge of the playing squad but every coach in the Championship or Premier League would tell you that, when it comes to contractual issues, you take instruction from your owner or your chairman."
