Leeds confident of cut-price January deal for Mateo Joseph
Leeds United are confident are securing a cut-price January deal to sign Espanyol forward Mateo Joseph, according to the Daily Mail.
The newspaper has reported on their website that the Whites believe they can reach a compromise and secure a deal for less than the £1.2million release clause.
It is suggested that Joseph and his family are ready to pack up and leave Spain to return to England, where the 17-year-old was born.
The competition is really starting to heat up though.
Barcelona, Liverpool and Arsenal are just three of the clubs interested in singing Joseph as he comes to the end of his contract this season.
As well as those, Manchester City are said to be the most interested and want to beat Leeds to his signature.
Pep Guardiola and his team are said to believe that his physicality and natural ability will suit their style perfectly further down the line.
That being said, it looks as though the Whites and Victor Orta have made the first concrete move ahead of the January window.
Get it done.
You don’t have these types of clubs hunting for your signature unless there is real hype behind your name.
The fact that Leeds have moved first and are confident of securing a compromise for the singing gives us hope that this is at least one name we will see arriving in the winter window.
Marcelo Bielsa and the clear pathway to first-team football will be a major selling point for Joseph, who won’t see that at any of the other English clubs currently in the hunt.
Joe Gelhardt and Sam Greenwood are currently shining in the under-23s and pushing for first-team football, and this signing would likely push them closer to that goal.
The Espanyol sensation will no doubt fill the void left by either of those options initially, with the hope of pushing towards that first team in the years to come.
This is certainly one to watch, and it is gathering pace rapidly.
In other Leeds United news, Phil Hay shares transfer priority of the Whites, details when major move will happen