Leeds United: New twist emerges in Mateo Joseph availability for 2024/25 | OneFootball

Leeds United could deny forward Mateo Joseph the opportunity to represent Spain at the Paris Olympics later this summer, according to the Yorkshire Evening Post.

The 2024 Olympic Games get underway in the French capital on July 26 and the 20-year-old has seemingly had a good chance of being included in head coach Santi Denia's squad after being called up to Spain's Under-21 squad in the last international break.

But what could be a dream scenario for Joseph could become a logistical nightmare for Leeds, who are preparing for a second consecutive season in the Championship after missing out on promotion to the Premier League as they lost to Southampton in the play-off final at Wembley last month.

That is due to the scheduling of the Paris Games, which clashes with Leeds' pre-season and the beginning of their Championship campaign.

The men's football tournament at the 2024 Olympics gets underway on July 24, two days before the opening ceremony, with the final scheduled for August 9 at the Parc des Princes in Paris.

That means that should Spain progress all the way to the gold medal decider, Joseph would be away on international duty until August 10 at the earliest, which marks the opening weekend of the EFL season.

Were Leeds to be selected for the traditional Friday night curtain-raiser, they would play on the same day as the men's football Olympic final.

And, according to the Yorkshire Evening Post, the Whites could veto Joseph's inclusion in Spain's squad for the Olympics, were he to be selected.

Unlike the European Championship and the World Cup, the Olympic Games are not governed by FIFA but by the International Olympic Committee, which means clubs are not obliged to release their players.

Joseph, who represented England at the Under-20 World Cup last year before switching his allegiance back to his country of birth, is expected to return to Leeds for pre-season testing and training early next month.

The report notes it is "unlikely" he would be released if selected, but talks between the player and Leeds will take place in the coming weeks.

Mateo Joseph's Leeds United stats

Joseph scored three goals in 26 appearances in all competitions last season, but was used sparingly by Daniel Farke and racked up just 237 minutes of Championship football.

Injury restricted the striker to less action than he would have liked this term during the beginning of the season, after starting the campaign on the treatment table, but he has all the fundamentals to make it as a striker to a very high level.

Joseph's displays in back-to-back games in the FA Cup caught the eye, as he led the line brilliantly during Leeds' 4-1 win away at Plymouth in the FA Cup fourth round replay and then followed that performance up with a brace in the 3-2 defeat against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in the following round.

And the upcoming campaign could be a defining one for Joseph, who made waves at youth level with Leeds' academy and could provide a different dimension to Farke's attacking plan.

While the fit-again Patrick Bamford and Georginio Rutter remain Farke's preferred options up-front, along with Joel Piroe, Joseph has all it takes to impress the Leeds manager and earn himself a bigger role in the team, particularly should Leeds be forced to part ways with either Crysencio Summerville or Wilfried Gnonto this summer.