Leeds United may be unable to keep star forward El Hadji Diouf beyond January after it was revealed that he had failed to agree terms on a new extended contract.

The much maligned striker has been a major success at Elland Road since joining on a short-term deal at the start of the season which saw him sign a contract worth around £5,000-a-week.

El Hadji Diiouf
Diouf while playing for Blackburn Rovers [Reuters]

Despite having previously been described as a 'sewer-rat' by manager Neil Warnock, Diouf has impressed since joined Leeds and has now scored four goals in his seven appearances for the club.

His performance in the 3-0 win over Southampton in the Capital One Cup, Diouf scoring the second of the game, was praised and has helped him become a fan favourite among the Leeds faithful.

However, the Daily Mail has reported that Diouf has turned down an improved offer from Leeds and there is now interest from rival Championship sides and Premier League clubs.

Diouf has now spent more than decade playing in England but has never managed to score double figures in a single season. He has already scored three league goals in five games and is playing some of the best football of his career.

The Senegal international had struggled to find a club when he left Blackburn Rovers at the end of the 2011 season, but he was handed the chance to resurrect his career with Doncaster Rovers.

Doncaster were duly relegated from the Championship but Diouf did impress and did enough to catch the eye of Leeds manager Warnock.

The former Sheffield United and QPR manager will certainly be keen to keep Diouf at the club as Leeds look to finally secure promotion back to the top flight.

At 31-years-old, Diouf will feel that he can continue playing for some time and could decide to assess which clubs are interested in the January transfer window.