Exclusive: Leeds boss Warnock promised cash for January spree ... And top priority is king of bling Diouf



GFH in advanced talks to complete Elland Road takeover

New owners in hurry to restore Leeds to Barclays Premier League



Manager assured he can have his pick of January transfer targets

Warnock to secure El Hadji Diouf on a permanent deal

WHO DO LEEDS WANT?

FRAIZER CAMPBELL – unsettled after falling behind Steven Fletcher in the pecking order at Sunderland and out of contract in the summer.

MATT PHILLIPS – Blackpool flyer has the pace on the flanks Warnock is looking for and scores goals. Wanted by Southampton in summer.

CLINT HILL – almost joined Leeds in the summer and now ready to make the break with QPR in January and link up again with his former boss.

Leeds manager Neil Warnock will be handed funds for a January spending spree when the club's prospective new owners GFH Capital take the reins.

The Bahrain-based investment bank have provided Leeds chairman Ken Bates with the necessary proof of funds and are locked in advance talks aimed at concluding a transaction that was first mooted in May.

In a development that will allay any misgivings among Leeds supporters, Sportsmail has learnt that they have also provided details of separate funds that have been earmarked for urgently-needed new signings.

The star and his car: El Hadji Diouf and his £70,000 chrome Cadillac Escalade 4x4 in Manchester yesterday. Leeds boss Neil Warnock has been promised the funds to sign Diouf on a permanent deal

Glittering performance: Diouf can expect an increase to his £5,000-a-week Leeds salary

Pocketing the cash: Leeds manager Neil Warnock can go shopping in January

Though the exact amount remains a closely-guarded secret, for fear of inflating prices, Warnock has been assured he can have the pick of his New Year transfer targets.



In a show of faith based on his track record for taking teams up from the Championship, he has been told no reasonable request for a January signing will be turned down.

The prospective owners are in a hurry to restore Leeds to their former Barclays Premier League status and believe Warnock can deliver their prime objective this season, given funds to strengthen in key areas he has already identified.

Warnock's top priority will be to secure the services of of El Hadji Diouf on a permanent basis. The controversial Senegalese forward is rumoured to be on a £5,000-a-week short-term deal and keen to put down more solid roots.

They have long since convinced Bates they have the financial clout to complete a takeover and are anxious now to impress on a long-suffering Leeds public their commitment to taking the club forward, after years in the doldrums.

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