Birmingham City target valued at £10m as Leeds United plan 'auction' for striker's signature

Birmingham City have been active on the recruitment front so far this summer. They have delved into the market to bring in the likes of Kyogo Furuhashi, Tommy Doyle and Bright Osay-Samuel, among others. Chris Davies’ side have the chance to sign more players in this window.

The Blues also have the opportunity to let some individuals head out the exit door as well if needed. The Midlands outfit stormed to the League One title last season and broke the record points tally in the process. They went up in the end with Wrexham and Charlton Athletic.

Birmingham City update regarding Leeds United striker Mateo Joseph

According to journalist Alan Nixon on his Patreon page, Leeds United want an ‘auction’ starting at around £10million for Birmingham target Mateo Joseph amid interest from Celta Vigo and Real Betis. The Blues have been linked with a move for the striker this summer in a report by Give Me Sport. However, it appears they face competition from La Liga for his signature.

Joseph, 21, started his career with spells as a teenager at Racing Santander and Espanyol. He moved to Elland Road in 2022 and has since made 73 appearances for the Whites in all competitions, chipping in with six goals. The Spain youth international helped Daniel Farke’s side win promotion in the last campaign.

His future in West Yorkshire is up in the air now though. He is likely to find it hard to get game time in the Premier League amid competition for his position. Therefore, an exit may well make sense for him over the coming weeks. His next destination is unknown at this stage though.

Joseph’s contract at Leeds expires in 2028. Therefore, he still has a few years left to run down. Selling him would free up space and funds in their ranks to pave the way for reinforcements as they prepare for the step up to the top flight.

Would Mateo Joseph suit Birmingham City?

Joseph would give Birmingham more competition and depth up top if they signed him. He has been limited to mainly substitute appearances for Leeds so far during his time there. If he joined the Blues, he would offer them something different going forward.

He was handed a new deal by the Whites back in January 2024. Farke has had this to say about his future: “Let’s see what the outcome is. We want to keep our best players. I’ve also learned to never say never. Sometimes there are crazy offers. We have to accept the reality – like last season when we sold some of our most important players. There is a no doubt Mateo is a player I really rate. We will see how the next weeks develop. Time will tell.”

Regarding Birmingham’s upcoming recruitment plans, Davies has said: “We've made a start obviously, signed a few players in a week. They all sort of came in a flurry, so that was positive. But we had to replace I think six or seven players who left, so you naturally have to replace them with six or seven players, that's normal. And yeah, I think we've still got work to do, definitely, but that's an ongoing process.”