MAGPIES SWOOP FOR HACKWORTH

The young striker has never pushed through into first-team contention at Elland Road, but rose to public attention when he was acquitted of wrongdoing in the Lee Bowyer - Jonathon Woodgate assault trial.

Hackworth had said that he would remain at the Yorkshire club after coming through to the first-team squad from an FA youth Cup double winning side that included the likes of Harry Kewell, Stephen McPhail and Alan Smith.

However, the Champions League semi-finalists have decided to allow the 21-year-old to move to a club that can offer him first-team football.

"Tony was sixth in line amongst the strikers for a place in the side, so for the sake of his own career it makes sense for him to move on," said Leeds chairman Peter Ridsdale.

The deal comes nearly four months after The Magpies first tried to sign the forward, but he rejected a switch to Meadow Lane on transfer deadline day.

At the time, County chief executive Peter Storrie said: "He has not turned Notts down, it was just that the lad has quite a few personal things he has to sort out in Leeds before he can contemplate moving down here.

"The deal is not dead, it is something we will be looking at over the next few months.

"Obviously he cannot join us now until July, because the deadline has passed, but that does not mean we won't be talking to him in the near future about trying to sort something out."

Hackworth has only appeared three times in a Leeds shirt, coming off the substitutes` bench on each occasion.

His debut was at Camp Nou as Leeds were overcome 4-0 by Barcelona, and his final game was against then-Italian champions Lazio in March.

Meanwhile, Leeds have announced two additions to their pre-season campaign with fixtures at Goole on Saturday August 11 and Workington on Friday August 17, which will be a game for the Under-19s.