Leeds United set eight-figure valuation for striker as Birmingham City face stern La Liga competition | OneFootball

Birmingham City have been credited with interest in Mateo Joseph.

Leeds United have set an eight-figure valuation on the head of young striker Mateo Joseph amid interest from Championship newcomers, Birmingham City.

Blues are looking to immediately take the second tier by storm following their record-breaking season on and off the pitch in League One last term, with American ownership group, Knighthead Capital Management continuing to heavily back manager Chris Davies in the summer transfer window.

Birmingham have been one of the most active clubs in the market thus far, with several exciting deals already conducted at St Andrew's @ Knighthead Park ahead of the curtain-raiser for the season against Ipswich Town on August 8th in B9.

This includes the eye-catching capture of Japanese striker and former Celtic cult hero, Kyogo Furuhashi for a reported £10m fee on a three-year contract after a frustrating six-month period with Ligue 1 outfit, Rennes.

And despite bolstering their creative and attacking ranks thus far, Blues seemingly aren't done there, although if they are to press forward with a move for Joseph after Leeds' return to the Premier League, they would have to part with a significant sum of cash, as well as fending off strong competition from clubs in his native Spain.

Blues were first credited with interest in a move for the 21-year-old last month, with a report from our sister site GIVEMESPORT describing said interest as "outstanding".

It had also been reported by other outlets that the forward, who scored three times in the Championship last season, although just 11 of his 39 league appearances came in the starting XI, could depart Elland Road and net the West Yorkshire club £8.5m.

However, according to a fresh update from Alan Nixon via Patreon on Sunday, Leeds are now looking to secure a £10m fee for Joseph's services, as Blues face strong competition from La Liga outfits, Real Betis and Celta Vigo, for his signature.

Betis' interest in the man who signed for Leeds back in 2022, and whose current deal in LS11 still has three years left to run, has been long-standing, with Manuel Pellegrini's side seeing a £10m bid knocked back in January, before rekindling their interest this summer.

The Athletic recently reported that the Seville-based club attempted to test Leeds' metal for his services once more, but saw a loan move with a future option to buy dismissed by the Whites.

Nixon's report also claims that Vigo could prepare a higher bid for Joseph, having banked £19m in the sale of Fer Lopez to Birmingham's local rivals, Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Birmingham City may be cautious over Mateo Joseph move as £10m price tag mooted

When spending the aforementioned sum, it is clear that those interested in Joseph are putting a high amount of faith in the striker fulfilling his maximum potential, which isn't too dissimilar to Blues' previous club-record investment in Jay Stansfield.

Joseph has impressed in limited sample sizes in the Championship, and therefore, if offered regular gametime, could improve his goal return and the chances of making future employers a profit down the line.

However, with it being claimed by BirminghamLive that a potential deal for Wolves forward, Hwang Hee-chan isn't financially viable for the Second City outfit at present, it remains to be seen whether they go all-out for Joseph instead, or continue to look for alternatives who are available at a cheaper price, although links to Jamie Vardy have also recently surfaced.

Blues currently have as many as five strikers on their books right now, although, as Football League World exclusively revealed, one of those is, unsurprisingly, looking to be moved on by the club in the form of former Leeds man, Tyler Roberts.