One player who could leave Leeds United this summer is Mateo Joseph, with the Spaniard looking at the bigger picture.
Daniel Farke currently has two striker options this summer, and it has been confirmed that Leeds will sign another striker.
This will leave Joseph questioning his status in the squad, as there is no doubt the 21-year-old struggled for game time last campaign.
He still contributed when he could to Leeds, but just 11 league starts last season doesn’t exactly represent him in good light.
Farke admitted Joseph failed to take chances when they were given to him, which has led to the striker ultimately searching for the exit door, and one club have been hot on his radar.
Mateo Joseph has hands on hips during Leeds United vs Millwall.
Photo by George Wood/Getty Images
Roadblock emerges in Mateo Joseph’s Leeds United exit to Real Betis
The club who have been hunting down the youngster’s signature for a while is Real Betis.
Betis had a £10m bid rejected by Leeds, but now the Spanish outfit are trying again.
This will be partly down to his success for Spain U21s, where he shone in the EURO U21 tournament this summer, alongside other promising stars.
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Joseph wants to go back to Spain, and Betis is the club trying to make it happen, as Leeds are proving to be tricky.
It’s been claimed that the Whites have been stubborn as Leeds rejected £6.9m for Joseph, with £8.5m the figure now wanted, despite rejecting a £10m figure in the winter.
Well, El Desmarque are reporting on Joseph’s situation, but this time Leeds aren’t causing the problems with Betis proving to be their own downfall.
They explain that Joseph is very much the main target for Betis to bolster their forward line, and they are keeping ‘talks alive’ with Leeds for him.
However, the roadblock in this deal is Betis striker Borja Iglesias, whose salary blocks an incoming for the time being.
Iglesias, who signed for £24m in 2019, is set to be the striker replaced by Joseph, but it’s been made clear this will be Betis’ final push’ for the Leeds youngster.
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Leeds have no choice but to sell Joseph this summer
It would be quite shocking if Joseph wasn’t sold this summer.
The striker is currently the third-choice striker, but his status will slip once again if another forward is signed, giving Joseph a clear answer to leave.
Not only will this benefit the player, but Joseph’s sale can help Leeds’ PSR with an extra £42.5m soon to become available.
It’s an unfortunate ending for a striker who has shown plenty of promise, as Leeds could regret his permanent exit.
But if the Whites want to push on, this is the only way forward in making sure the 49ers have a successful transfer window.