Beckford has been in sensational form this season, scoring an amazing 35 goals in 40 games. He joined Wealdstone after some impressive performances for their youth team after spending time with both Reading and QPR.
He has been looked at by many league and Premiership clubs, including Charlton, Sunderland, QPR, Brentford, Oldham, Yeovil, Peterborough, Wycombe Wanderers, Barnet and Crystal Palace, Palace even gave Beckford a trial against Arsenal reserves last Thursday, when he played 75 minutes of a 2-2 draw, but he has agreed personal terms with the Whites and should officially be confirmed as a Leeds player on Thursday morning if he completes his medical later today.
Blackwell said on the official Leeds website: "Everything's nearly done and we are delighted to have signed Jermaine. We were aware that there were a lot of clubs interested in him, we watched him a couple of times this season and were certainly not the only ones, in fact we understand Southampton, Chelsea, Palace and Watford all put bids in for him but for me when Leeds United comes calling there's no contest.
"The chairman thinks there are one or two nuggets in the lower leagues and he wants us to try and tap into that resource as much as possible. Jermaine was certainly the man grabbing the headlines. There wont be many out there but the chairman feels he wants to have a dabble and we've given Jermaine a big chance now.
"But there will be no pressure on the lad to come in and set the world alight, we want him to settle down and find his feet first and then we'll hopefully see what he has to offer. He's one for the future. Hopefully he'll be a real gem and he will not find a better place for his talent to grow."