Leeds United 'nearly signed' Frank Lampard but snubbed 'ridiculous' £11m transfer fee

A famous Leeds United fan has revealed that the club almost signed England icon Frank Lampard before his move to Chelsea – but turned it down because of the "ridiculous" transfer fee.

Tim Booth, the lead singer of James, is a huge Leeds United supporter and has discussed his relationship with the hierarchy of the club – which is how he was aware of the Frank Lampard links. Booth said that the club were preparing a bid for Lampard but his £11million price tag put them off.

Speaking on The Overlap's 'Football, Music and Me' podcast, Booth has explained his friendships with former Leeds chairman Peter Ridsdale and manager David O'Leary – and how he was blown away by the plans that were being made at the top level.

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Booth said: "I was watching what was going on behind the scenes and wondering how are they affording this? Also, the players that got away, they probably would have made all the difference actually.

"I know that we nearly got Frank Lampard (from West Ham) and Ridsdale said to me, 'They're asking for £11million which is ridiculous for a player of that calibre' – and it really didn't turn out that way."

Lampard ended up leaving West Ham to join Chelsea in an £11m transfer and ended up becoming one of the greatest players for his club and excelled for his country. Lampard made 429 appearances for Chelsea and scored 147 goals, winning three Premier League titles, four FA Cups and both the Europa League and Champions League.

Booth also noted that the club had sent a bid to Monaco for John Arne Riise before he eventually ended up at Liverpool. But when the Ligue 1 club asked for an extra £1m to be added, Leeds were so annoyed that they voided the transfer.

The singer said: "They nearly got Jon Arne Riise before Liverpool and apparently the deal was done. Then, they asked for an extra million and it p****d off the Leeds hierarchy so much that they didn't go the extra million.

"That [deal] would have replaced Ian Harte at the time who became, God bless him, a brilliant free-kick taker but a little slow and people ended up targeting Leeds through Ian Harte.

"So, it was like you'd hear about those moments where you think 'what a team that would have been if they'd managed to get those two players' for example."

Riise ended up signing for Liverpool the following summer and appeared 234 times for them, winning the Champions League, the FA Cup, the League Cup and the Community Shield.

While there have been many club legends for Leeds United across the years, it is hard to imagine what life could have been like if an English legend like Lampard had signed.