Video: Blades striker is top target if Leeds lose Beckford

The 26-year-old is in demand after netting the winner as Leeds knocked Manchester United out of the FA Cup with Newcastle United heading the list of interested clubs.

Magpies manager Chris Hughton sees the striker as the man to shoot the Championship leaders back into the top flight with the Toon Army having had a 1.25m bid rejected before Christmas.

Newcastle have intimated they are unwilling to go above 1.5m for a player who will be available on a free transfer come the summer when his contract runs out.

However, with Geremi having yesterday left St James' Park for Turkish club Ankaragucu to free around 60,000-a-week from the wage bill and other clubs having been alerted to Beckford's potential by his winner at Old Trafford, Hughton appreciates time is of the essence.

Sources in the North East have indicated the Magpies want to tie up a deal by early next week at the latest with a possible solution to the impasse being to offer United a substantial seven-figure down payment with an additional sum payable should Newcastle win promotion.

Leeds have remained steadfast in their determination to hold on to 20-goal Beckford with manager Simon Grayson continually stressing his desire to retain the striker for the entire season.

It was a point he reiterated in the wake of Sunday's triumph at Old Trafford, though this time the United manager did qualify the statement by adding: "If that does happen (Beckford leaving), we will have to have replacements lined up."

The Yorkshire Post understands this desire not to be left short in attack is behind the club's scouts having spent recent weeks scouring the Football League.

And Sharp, who is on a season-long loan at Doncaster Rovers from Bramall Lane but can be recalled if the Blades receive an acceptable bid, is believed to top of Grayson's wanted list.

One potential stumbling block is the south Yorkshire club wanting to recoup much of the 2m fee then manager Bryan Robson spent bringing the one-time Blades apprentice back to the club from Scunthorpe United in 2007.

Sharp, who has 18 months remaining on his deal with United, has been in stunning form for Doncaster in the Championship this season with 10 goals in 17 appearances, six of which have come in the last seven games.

The 23-year-old's form has been so impressive that Barnsley are understood to have made an enquiry late last year only for the striker to indicate a willingness to stay at the Keepmoat where Rovers' passing approach has suited his playing style.

A move to Elland Road may, however, prove a more attractive proposition with Leeds, who have also been linked with Scunthorpe United's Gary Hooper since interest in their top scorer first emerged, firmly on course to win promotion.

Any transfer movement would depend on Beckford leaving Leeds and, in that respect, the ball is firmly in Newcastle's court.

Publicly, Hughton is suggesting the United striker is one of several targets interesting the Magpies but sources insist Beckford is the man he wants.

The Newcastle manager said: "I wasn't at Old Trafford to see Jermaine, and there is no deal done yet. All we can say is that we are working very hard on bringing in new players, and I am very confident that we will get them.

"His profile now goes up, because the (Manchester United) game was on television, but everyone knows that this is just one game. Whether he had done well or badly, he would still be a talented player. He is one of a few players we are interested in."

Newcastle have failed to score in the two games since Marlon Harewood left St James' Park, the striker being recalled by Aston Villa after a successful loan spell on Tyneside.

Hughton had been hoping to extend the deal but Villa chief Martin O'Neill insisted only a permanent move would be allowed.

Leeds' victory at Old Trafford means not only Beckford's reputation has been enhanced but that of Grayson, too.

He is likely to receive admiring glances from several club chairmen as the managerial merry-go-round continues spinning after Burnley confirmed yesterday that Owen Coyle had held talks with Bolton Wanderers over a possible move to the Reebok to replace Gary Megson.

However, the United manager has a stern warning for anyone wanting to tempt him away from his native Yorkshire. He said: "My commitment to Leeds United has never been in question. I left Blackpool a year ago to join the football club I supported.

"Leeds is a fantastic football club and I am not interested in going anywhere else."