Joel Piroe's Leeds United future stance confirmed amid Ipswich Town enquiry

Leeds United’s attempts to add a striker to their squad before the end of the January transfer window were delivered a blow on Thursday night when Premier League rivals Crystal Palace moved a step closer to securing a deal for Whites target Jorgen Strand Larsen.

The Wolverhampton Wanderers striker has been routinely linked with a move to Elland Road over the last ten days and Leeds are believed to have been unsuccessful with an initial bid for the Norway international just over a week ago. Palace have also been strongly linked with Strand Larsen as speculation over Jean-Philippe Mateta’s future at Selhurst Park continues to make headlines.

Multiple sources have now claimed the Eagles are close to an agreement to signs Strand Larsen and a deal worth an initial £45m with a further £5m to follow in add-ons is being discussed with Wolves. The Athletic’s David Ornstein has claimed Leeds’ bid reached £40m but ‘is not currently going higher’.

A striker is top of the agenda for the Whites during the final three days of the January transfer window but it seems Strand Larsen is the only serious option under consideration. Should he move to Palace before Monday’s 7pm deadline, it seems increasingly likely Joel Piroe will remain as part of Daniel Farke’s squad despite being the subject of interest from a number of Championship clubs.

The Whites promotion winner has struggled for game-time this season as summer signing Daniel Calvert-Lewin has established himself as Farke’s first-choice striker and that led to speculation of a possible move away from Elland Road. The YEP’s Graham Smyth has revealed one Championship club had submitted an enquiry for Piroe in recent weeks and gave an insight into how Leeds and Piroe see his immediate future playing out.

What has Graham Smyth said about Joel Piroe’s future at Leeds United?

Speaking on the Inside Elland Road podcast, Smyth said: “Joel Piroe still wants to stay at Leeds and prove himself and Leeds still don't want to push him out the door. They're not going to force it. Ipswich did make an inquiry like others, but he doesn't want to go to the Championship, obviously. Something could still happen with that. You just never know. An offer that could come in that makes him think ‘actually, I'm not going to play very much in the Premier League, and this is a real chance for me’. But as it stands, it's all the same on that front. Nothing's really changed.”

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