Birmingham City target ambitious Leeds United transfer raid amid Real Betis interest | OneFootball

The Blues will not have an easy time landing this Leeds United star

Birmingham City are reportedly keeping a close eye on Leeds United forward Mateo Joseph ahead of a potnetial transfer move.

That’s according to a report from Midlands expert Neil Moxley at GIVEMESPORT, who has stated that the Spain youth international has been on the Championship side’s radar for some time now.

Joseph was signed by Leeds in 2022 from Espanyol’s youth system and became increasingly important to Daniel Farke, but his influence waned to towards the end of the season.

Now, reports suggest he could be seeking a new challenge, but Blues face a tough battle if they want to land the young star.

Birmingham in for Leeds United’s Mateo Joseph

Birmingham are the latest club to express an interest in Joseph, according to GMS, with manager Chris Davies on the hunt for adaptable forwards who can play across the frontline.

Figures around £8.5m have been discussed by some outlets, but there is yet to a specific asking price placed on Joseph.

Despite talk around his future, the Yorkshire Evening Post have declared that Leeds don’t view Joseph as up for sale.

Whether that stance changes in the face of a potential bidding war remains to be seen.

Birmingham City will need to fend of European interest to land Mateo Joseph

Though the Blues can now offer Championship football after their promotion from League One, they still have their work cut out getting Joseph over the line.

GMS also report that Ligue 1 side Strasbourg are interested and La Liga’s Real Betis are still in the mix after seeing a £10m bid rejected in January, with some reports suggesting a deal there is imminent.

The 21-year-old has three years left to run on his current deal, putting Leeds in the driving seat in any negotiations.

Nevertheless, as Birmingham have shown in the past with Jay Stansfield, for the right player they are willing to drop considerable sums, which may even rival that of top-flight Spanish and French sides.

A move away from Leeds United might work for Mateo Joseph

Last season was one of Joseph’s first substantial seasons in senior football, making 39 league appearances, scoring three goals and registering three assists.

However, after starting the season well, he became a little too familiar with the Elland Road bench towards the end of the campaign.

If that was the case in the second tier, the Whites’ subsequent promotion is unlikely to have done many favours for Joseph’s prospects of first-team football, not to mention that Leeds could look to strengthen in forward areas for the Premier League season ahead.

The Santander-born striker is still very young, so a season on the bench in the Premier League with regular cameos certainly won’t be detrimental to his career, but he has had a taste of being an important first-team player now.

Should he want to continue on that path of progress, a move away would be daring but could prove an inspired decision.