Joel Piroe edges closer to Leeds exit as bid expected for replacement striker
Joel Piroe is increasingly likely to leave Leeds United as Daniel Farke aims to beef up his strikeforce.
Piroe was an unused substitute as Leeds beat Liverpool 4-2 in a pre-season friendly in Chicago on Sunday.
The Dutch striker had to watch on as Dominic Calvert-Lewin scored twice to help the Whites secure a morale-boosting victory with the Premier League season just weeks away from kicking off.
Piroe's future has been subject to speculation this summer, but Farke's decision to add a new goal threat to help Calvert-Lewin carry the club's goalscoring burden means the ex-Swansea man is edging nearer to the Elland Road exit doors.
The 27-year-old, who's earned one cap for Suriname, scored just once in 21 games across all competitions for Leeds last season, with that goal coming against Championship side Norwich in the FA Cup.
Leeds are now setting their sights on an upgrade who was far more prolific in the Premier League than Piroe.
The 11-goal striker on Leeds' radar
Calvert-Lewin scored 14 league goals for Leeds last season, with Noak Okafor (8), Lukas Nmecha (6) and Anton Stach (5) behind him in the rankings.
The ex-Everton star and Nmecha were the only out-and-out strikers to score a Premier League goal for the Whites, suggesting that more firepower is a must this summer if they want to avoid another relegation dogfight.
One player with experience of bagging goals in the Premier League and fighting for survival is Burnley's Zian Flemming.
According to Football Insider on Monday, Burnley are bracing themselves for offers for Flemming, who's also on the radar of Brentford.
It is understood that the Championship club are "expecting" bids for the Dutchman before the transfer window shuts on 1 September.
Flemming scored 11 times in 29 Premier League games last season for Burnley.
What's the latest on Joel Piroe's situation?
Piroe is clearly not in Farke's immediate first-team plans for next season.
His failure to get on the scoresheet at all in the Premier League last term, coupled with his omission from the friendly win over Liverpool, suggests that he's not really got much of a future any more at Elland Road.
As well as Wilfried Gnonto, Piroe is "likely" to be sold by Leeds this summer, according to Sky Sports.
It remains to be seen what clubs could be interested in Piroe but with one year left on his contract and having only just celebrated his 27th birthday, the ex-PSV man looks like a good option for teams back in the Championship or, potentially, in the Netherlands.