Leeds United 'ready' to sanction permanent exit for Wrexham-linked Mallorca loanee Mateo Joseph
Leeds United are reportedly ready to sanction a permanent exit for Mateo Joseph.
The 22-year-old started the 2024/25 season as Daniel Farke’s first-choice forward and looked set to hit new heights.
He instead struggled to be the lethal marksman Leeds needed and was dislodged from the starting XI by Joel Piroe.
After spending the bulk of the club’s Championship title-winning campaign on the fringes, Joseph requested a move away from Elland Road last summer.
He was loaned to La Liga outfit Mallorca, marking a return to the country of his birth.
Leeds United’s plan for Mateo Joseph
There was no buy option included in the deal but according to Football Insider, Leeds are ready to offload the former Spain Under-21s international.
It has been suggested Joseph is very interested in a permanent move to La Liga, a division in which he has scored twice this season.
Championship promotion hopefuls Wrexham were recently credited with interest in Joseph, but appears he may opt for a move away from England if sold.
Mateo Joseph’s time at Leeds United
Joseph joined Leeds from Espanyol’s youth system in 2022 and was initially assigned to the club’s under-21s set-up.
He thrived at youth level for the Whites, eventually making the transition into the senior squad. Joseph has made a total of 73 appearances for the club and scored six goals.
Speaking in September about his time in West Yorkshire, Joseph said: “It was a change which we believe was for the better, at a club in the Premier League at the time that was calling and offered a very interesting project. It’s gone very well, and I’ve learned a lot from my time there.
“It’s not the same [living in Leeds as in Spain]. There aren't as many things to do, but I knew it was the place I needed to be at that moment. It's not the prettiest place, but it's cosy. I lived near the training camp, and I used that time to focus on what I had to do.”
Leeds United’s forward department
Leeds strengthened their frontline last summer, signing Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Lukas Nmecha on free transfer deals.
The pair have leapfrogged Piroe in the pecking order and been Farke’s main forwards this season.
Although the summer signings have both impressed, Leeds continue to be linked with other forwards ahead of the next transfer window.
There has been talk of interest in AZ Alkmaar’s Troy Parrott, Swansea City’s Žan Vipotnik and Estoril’s Yanis Begraoui.