Chelsea owners 'tracking' Leeds United youngster after £10m bid rejected in January
Leeds United have received previous interest in the young striker.
Interest in Mateo Joseph appears to be building as summer approaches with reports now suggesting RC Strasbourg are ‘tracking’ the Leeds United striker.
Joseph has emerged as a possible target for several European clubs in recent weeks, with Spanish outfit Real Betis known admirers having seen a £10million bid rejected back in January. Recent reports in Spain suggest the Europa Conference League finalists will likely revisit the matter come summer, with hope fresh talks can take place with Elland Road chiefs.
“When you are in the spotlight it attracts attention from your players,” Leeds boss Daniel Farke said when quizzed on that bid after the January window closed. “It was important for us to block out the interest. There were a few approaches for our players but we blocked it because we wanted to keep the core group. To hold together the core group was a key topic for us.”
Betis are believed to be one of several Spanish clubs keeping tabs on the 21-year-old, and now reports from France suggest Strasbourg could be next to test Leeds’ resolve. National newspaper L’Equipe name Joseph as one of ‘several’ players being monitored at the Stade de la Meinau.
Strasbourg are eyeing a new striker but their primary choice appears to be Joaquin Panichelli, who has excelled leading the line for Spanish second-tier outfit Mirandes, on loan from Alaves. But alongside L’Equipe, Leeds Live report on ‘whispers’ of interest in Leeds’ young striker Joseph.
Do Chelsea and Strasbourg have the same owners?
French club Strasbourg are part of a multi-club model under the stewardship of Chelsea owners BlueCo, with players recently moving between the two clubs. According to the report, it is strictly the Ligue 1 outfit eyeing a possible move for Joseph, with manager Liam Rosenior well-versed in the quality of Championship players, having previously managed Hull City.
Joseph remains highly regarded in West Yorkshire but struggled to replicate his international goalscoring form at club level, with 41 appearances last season yielding just three goals. The Spanish youth international eventually fell behind Joel Piroe in the pecking order and Leeds are expected to sign another top-level No.9 this summer.
But interest comes in part due to his international exploits, with Joseph scoring an impressive seven goals in nine games at Under-21 level. The striker will hope to replicate that form during this summer’s UEFA Under-21 European Championships, a competition prospective suitors will no doubt have an eye on.
It remains to be seen how Leeds will proceed when it comes to interest in Joseph, whose potential is in no doubt. A significant amount of money is expected to be spent preparing for the Premier League but, in an interview with the YEP and other local media last month, chairman Paraag Marathe suggested sales may be needed to raise the necessary funds.
"I'm not really ready to go into that, but yes, your speculation is probably right,” he said. “It's going to be a mix of seeing if there are inbounds along with outbounds. And that's probably, that's probably accurate, but really not ready to go into more detail than that. But we are looking at maximizing what we can do, and so that involves the whole bag, ins and outs."
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