Leeds United will be doing plenty of deals in the next couple of months in an attempt to build a squad that can avoid an instant relegation from the Premier League.
The Whites have already made one new signing to bolster Daniel Farke's options at the top end of the pitch, as Lukas Nmecha has agreed a deal to join the club on a free transfer from Wolfsburg at the start of next month.
He only scored three goals in 19 appearances in the Bundesliga during the 2024/25 campaign, and has only scored eight league goals in the last three seasons combined.
This does not suggest that Nmecha is likely to be the go-to centre-forward option from the start for the West Yorkshire outfit, but the former Germany international could provide experienced back-up to the other number nines in the squad.
wolfsburg-lukas-nmecha-leeds-transfer
The 26-year-old star will not be the last striker to arrive at Elland Road this summer, though, as reporter Graham Smyth claimed that the club are still looking for another addition in that position.
This could spell bad news for 21-year-old marksman Mateo Joseph's future in West Yorkshire, amid speculation that he could move on ahead of next season.
Why Mateo Joseph could leave Leeds
The Spain U21 international is reportedly being eyed up by several clubs, as GIVEMESPORT recently claimed that Birmingham, Strasbourg, and Real Betis are all keen on securing his signature.
Mateo-Joseph-Leeds
This suggests that there will be no shortage of suitors for the Whites academy graduate if Farke decides that he will not be a part of his plans for the Premier League season, which will kick off with a clash against Everton on the first Monday Night Football of the campaign.
Joseph has now had a taste of first-team football, with 61 Championship outings and four goals in the last two seasons, and should be wanting to play regular minutes next term to continue his development.
The Spanish youngster only scored three goals in 39 matches for Leeds in the second tier during the 2024/25 campaign, but did put up some promising underlying numbers.
24/25 Championship Mateo Joseph per 90 Percentile rank vs forwards
Non-penalty xG 0.36 Top 29%
Shots total 2.73 Top 11%
Shots on target 1.05 Top 17%
Non-penalty goals 0.21 Bottom 34%
xAG 0.13 Top 20%
Assists 0.21 Top 6%
Shot-creating actions 2.31 Top 20%
Touches in the opposition's box 5.25 Top 10%
Stats via FBref
As you can see in the table above, Joseph ranked highly among his positional peers when it came to getting into high-quality shooting positions and creating chances for others, but his finishing let him down.
A loan move away from Leeds to play regularly and hone his skills next term could be the ideal next step for him, whilst Leeds are eyeing up a striker who could be an upgrade on him in the short term.
Leeds plotting move for new striker
According to TEAMtalk, the Championship champions are eyeing up further forward additions after the signing of Nmecha, and Besiktas striker Semih Kilicsoy is one of the players they are plotting a move for.
The Turkish attacker and Fulham centre-forward Rodrigo Muniz are both said to be targets for the West Yorkshire outfit, as they look to improve Farke's options in the final third.
TEAMtalk adds that Leeds are moving forward in deals to sign Muniz, Kilicsoy, and USG's Noah Sadiki, with the Besiktas whiz said to be available for a fee of £18m.
The outlet claims that the Whites have extensively scouted the Turkey U21 international and view him as a versatile star with potential who would come in as a long-term signing for Farke.
besiktas-semih-kilicsoy
If Leeds can get an £18m deal over the line to sign the 19-year-old forward during the summer transfer window then they could have an immediate upgrade on both Nmecha and Joseph for next season.
Why Leeds should sign Semih Kilicsoy
There are many reasons why signing the teenage marksman from Besiktas makes a lot of sense for Leeds, including his age profile. At 19, he has many years left ahead of him to develop and improve as a player, which means that the striker could grow in value over time.
semih-kilicsoy-besiktas
It also means that he may not demand to be the first-choice number nine week-in-week-out in the Premier League straight away, and be happy to be a versatile bench option at first, which would allow the Whites to also sign a more experienced striker, such as Muniz.
Kilicsoy's performances for Besiktas in the last two seasons also suggest that he would offer more quality in front of goal than both Nmecha and Joseph in the top-flight.
The Turkish attacker, who was once hailed as "incredible" by talent scout Jacek Kulig, scored 15 goals and provided nine assists in the 2023/24 and 2024/25 seasons combined for his club side.
Joseph managed seven goals and four assists for Leeds in all competitions, and Nmecha racked up five goals and zero assists in that same time, which immediately suggests that the teenage star has more to offer the team at the top end of the pitch.
24/25 (per 90) Kilicsoy (Super Lig) Joseph (Championship)
Goals 0.21 0.21
xG on target 0.35 0.35
xA 0.13 0.10
Assists 0.14 0.21
Dribbles completed 2.49 0.78
Dribble success rate 57% 42%
Fouls won 2.00 1.29
Stats via FotMob
As you can see in the table above, Kilicsoy offered more quality at the top end of the pitch than Joseph this season, with more goals and xA combined per 90, along with far more success in dribbling past opposition players.
Impressively, the teenage attacker managed 0.59 goals and 0.21 assists per 90 in the Super Lig in the previous campaign, when he managed 11 goals and four assists in the division, whilst Joseph scored one goal in 22 league games for Leeds that term.
Mateo-Joseph-Leeds
Therefore, Kilicsoy could be a very exciting signing for Leeds as a young forward who has shown that he has the potential to make a big impact as both a scorer and a creator of goals, even more so than Joseph and Nmecha have in recent years.
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