ALAN SMITH could become a reluctant pawn in the power struggle between Arsenal and Manchester United as the vultures circle over Leeds United. The striker, who has said that his future is out of his hands, has emerged as Arsène Wenger’s No 1 transfer target, but any courtship is likely to provoke opposition from both sides of the Pennines.

Smith is one of up to eight strikers that Sir Alex Ferguson, the United manager, is considering as he prepares for the new-year sales, but Wenger has stolen a march on his adversary by pinpointing the 23-year-old as his preferred choice to ease the pressure on Thierry Henry’s shoulders.

Leeds continue to insist that Smith is going nowhere. “He epitomises what we are about,” Professor John McKenzie, the Leeds chairman, said. “I will leave before he does.” A former ball boy, Smith came up through the club academy.

Trevor Birch, the chief executive, said that selling players was “a sure-fire recipe for relegation”, but Leeds cannot be certain of keeping their most popular player until a buyer for the club is found.

Some may argue that Smith, who has been sent off nine times, would merely exacerbate Arsenal’s disciplinary problems. Wenger is unconcerned by his ragged edges and remembers him as the player who dented some of Europe’s biggest reputations during Leeds’s charge to the European Cup semi-finals three seasons ago. With Dennis Bergkamp’s phobia of flying an enduring problem and Sylvain Wiltord an erratic performer, Wenger sees Smith as the ideal player to end Arsenal’s repeated failure on foreign fields. He will also overlook a modest goalscoring record that has delivered just seven league goals in the past two seasons and point to the versatility that has often seen Smith played in midfield.

Smith, a die-hard Yorkshireman, would prefer to avoid the enmity heaped upon Rio Ferdinand and Eric Cantona when they moved from Leeds to Manchester. Given the club’s commitment to retaining him, Mark Viduka appears more likely to take that route.

Leeds still need Birch to find a buyer before January 19, however. They have denied Sheikh Abdul bin Mubarak al-Khalifa’s claim that he has already made a bid, casting further doubts on his involvement. Allan Leighton, who has stepped down as deputy chairman to put a consortium together, hopes to be considered a safer option.