Leeds face ‘difficult’ Mateo Joseph situation as transfer stance emerges from Mallorca
Leeds United appear set to face an awkward decision regarding the long-term future of Mateo Joseph in the coming months.
The Whites spent large parts of their summer trying to find a potential suitor for the youngster, after their promotion to the Premier League seemed set to limit his gametime even further.
Leeds eventually loaned Joseph out to Mallorca, where he has already been making a positive impression in the early stages of the season.
The 22-year-old has three goal contributions from his opening eight games in La Liga so far this term, and that could be about to pose a major conundrum to Daniel Farke and Co.
Mallorca can’t afford to meet Leeds’ valuation for Mateo Joseph
Joseph angered many people at Leeds with the way he handled his departure over the summer.
The forward made it abundantly clear that he wanted to move away, and his decision not to attend their pre-season training camp in Germany in a bid to force through a move has surely burned his bridges in West Yorkshire.
- Joseph started just 11 league games for Leeds in the Championship last season
- He has represented both England at Spain at youth level
- Joseph already has three goal contributions for Mallorca this season
Given Joseph’s popularity already at Mallorca, the Whites may have been considering the possibility of trying to convince the La Liga outfit to sign him on a permanent basis at the end of the season.
However, any possibility of that being a viable option for them already appears to be off the table, as Mallorca would have no chance of meeting the £8.7million-£13m valuation that Leeds set for him in the summer, according to Ultima Hora.
The outlet also adds that it seems “difficult” for Joseph to “resume his relationship” with Leeds next season.
That looks set to leave the Premier League side in an awkward situation when his loan deal expires at the end of the season, as they would be left with a player who likely wouldn’t want to be there, but also no obvious candidate to sell him to.
With that in mind, they must be desperate to see Joseph continue his impressive recent form, in the hope that it attracts more potential buyers next summer.
- Read More: Leeds left with no-brainer Mateo Joseph decision after what’s happened away from Elland Road
Lack of purchase option for Mateo Joseph was a strange decision
Leeds didn’t want to grant a purchase option for Joseph as part of the loan deal, but that looks to be a strange decision from them at the moment.
The manner of his exit in the summer should have told everyone at Elland Road exactly what he thinks about the club, which should surely have made it a no-brainer for them to leave the door open to a permanent departure.
Instead, they now risk being left caught in no man’s land to some extent when his loan deal reaches its conclusion.
It is undoubtedly an option for them to lower their asking price for Joseph in order to try and entice Mallorca into doing business, but that would certainly be a disappointing outcome.
Ultimately, Leeds have plenty of time to assess how they deal with Joseph’s future before the end of the season, but it seems highly unlikely that there will be a route back in for him in LS11.
Enjoyed this article? Stay connected with all the latest Leeds United news, updates, and behind-the-scenes content by following us on our new Instagram account – @motleedsnews