Football: All Whites striker Chris Wood linked to $26 million transfer to Everton

Leeds United and All Whites striker Chris Wood could be set for a big money move to the Premier League. Photo / Getty Images.

All Whites striker Chris Wood is being linked to a £14.6 million (NZ$26m) move to Premier League club Everton.

Speculation surrounding the move has been swirling throughout media outlets in England, where Wood - who is currently part of the All Whites camp for their World Cup qualifiers against Fiji - plays for EFL Championship side Leeds United.

The Football Insider is reporting that Wood has impressed Everton scouts this season, and manager Ronald Koeman could look to make the deal happen should Leeds United fail to gain promotion into the Premier League next season.

The Daily Express have also reported the story, stating Koeman would have to pay at least £15 million (NZ$26.65m) to secure the 25-year-old's signature.

The transfer would be reward for Wood's outstanding form for Leeds this season, having netted an impressive 24 goals in 36 appearances in the EFL Championship, while also scoring three goals in four EFL Cup outings late last year.

It is this sort of goal scoring form that has helped Leeds climb into promotion contention.

The club currently sits in fourth place on the EFL Championship table, which would be enough for them to qualify for the Championship play-offs, where the third and final team to be promoted to the Premier League is determined.

However, with Newcastle and Brighton looking like the clubs most likely to secure the two automatic qualifying spots, Wood and his Leeds teammates face stiff competition from the likes of Huddersfield and Reading for the lucrative final qualifying spot.

Should Leeds miss out on earning promotion from the Championship, the club would be vulnerable to losing Wood to Premier League clubs such as Everton, who would be looking to bolster their attacking options with a raft of their current players - including Belgian star Romelu Lukaku - linked with moves to other Premier League and European clubs.

Wood, who was sold to Leeds by current Premier League champions Leicester City for just £2.5 million (NZ$4.4m) in 2015, would re-join injured West Ham defender Winston Reid as the only New Zealanders in the Premier League.

The Auckland-born, Waikato-raised striker became just the fifth New Zealander ever to play in England's top football league, making his debut off the bench for West Bromwich Albion against Portsmouth in 2009 at the age of just 17.

Since then, he has made just 10 Premier League appearances across three seasons for West Brom and Leicester, scoring a solitary goal for latter side against Everton during a 2-2 draw in 2014.

Wood, who scored from the penalty spot in the All Whites' 2-0 win over Fiji in Lautoka on Saturday, will captain the national side in the return leg at Westpac Stadium in Wellington tomorrow night.