Football: Premier League clubs eye Chris Wood

Chris Wood was the Championship's top scorer last season. Photo / Photosport

All Whites striker Chris Wood is a wanted man. According to British media reports, the Leeds striker is being tracked by several English Premier League clubs, including Swansea, Stoke and Southampton.

They are all said to be pursuing the 25-year-old, despite Leeds reportedly putting a price tag of 20 million ($35 million) on his head.

Such a fee would make him easily the most expensive player in New Zealand football history - surpassing the likes of Wynton Rufer and Winston Reid - and one of the highest paid sportsmen from these shores.

The interest is due to his incredible feats last season, when he scored 27 league goals for the Elland Road club and was the Championship's top scorer.

Wood has been a consistent scorer throughout his time in England, bringing up his 100th senior goal in British football towards the end of last season, but went to a new level in the last campaign.

But it wasn't enough to propel his club to promotion and that, along with the departure of manager Garry Monk from Leeds to Middlesbrough, might be enough to see him try his luck elsewhere.

Wood retains Premier League ambitions, after a brief taste of the world's most high profile football league while at Leicester and a few appearances for West Bromwich as a teenager.

Wood still has two years left on his contract at Elland Road, where he moved from Leicester at the end of the 2014-15 season.

Big spending Chinese club Tianjin Quanjian made a bid for Wood in January but Leeds turned down their approach.

New Leeds manager Thomas Christiansen is apparently determined to keep Wood. He has already signed Huesca forward Samuel Saiz to offer more support to the Kiwi target man and former Manchester City striker Alvaro Negredo is also a potential target.

Wood has made 85 appearances for Leeds, netting 43 goals, and previously enjoyed profitable spells at Leicester, Millwall, Brighton, Birmingham and Bristol City.

It's shaping as a pivotal few months for Wood, who will lead the line for New Zealand against the Solomon Islands in September, then, if the All Whites progress, be the main source of attacking inspiration against South American opposition in November.