Birmingham City should sign £15k-a-week Leeds United ace - Jay Stansfield needs strong competition | OneFootball

Birmingham City should strike an agreement with Leeds United for Mateo Joseph to compete with Jay Stansfield.

Birmingham City have been linked with a summer move for out-of-favour Leeds United striker Mateo Joseph this summer, who could be the perfect signing to provide Jay Stansfield with some competition.

The Blues breezed through League One last season, smashing the points record previously held by Midland rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers, and are now preparing for life back in the Championship.

Their highly-ambitious ownership group are keen to ensure the club fights towards the top of the table in the coming season, as they have visions of Premier League football returning to St Andrew's @ Knighthead Park in the near future.

This has seen them linked with plenty of players already this summer, as the Blues look to strengthen a squad already brimming with talent. One of those is young striker Joseph of Leeds.

Stansfield is clearly the long-term striking option at Birmingham, but he will certainly need some healthy competition to help push him on, and Joseph could be the perfect man to play that role.

Birmingham City in need of another striker

The Blues were in a great position last season, where they had plenty of reliable outlets for goals, such as Stansfield, Alfie May, and Keshi Anderson. Chris Davies' men ran riot in the third tier, scoring 83 goals in total.

Now, they face the challenge of the second tier, and with promotion no doubt on their mind once again, the position up front could be one that needs reinforcement this summer.

With Lukas Jutkiewicz hanging up his boots, the only strikers currently on the books at St Andrew's @ Knighthead Park are Stansfield, and out-of-form Lyndon Dykes, and an aging May.

With that in mind, it's clear to see why a player like Joseph is linked with the Midlands club, as Davies will likely be keen to have a younger forward on the books who can provide cover and competition for their star striker, whilst also continuing to improve himself.

Birmingham City should push to strike Leeds United transfer agreement

Despite being a highly-rated prospect at Elland Road, the 21-year-old, who earns an estimated £15k-a-week at Elland Road, has struggled to find consistent goalscoring form, which has seen him fall out of favour with Daniel Farke heading into the Premier League.

Joseph was free to leave Leeds according to reports from GiveMeSport, and this is where the first reported interest from B9 stemmed. With Lukas Nmecha joining the Whites, it seems like the Spaniard could be obsolete in Yorkshire.

A new chapter could be on the horizon for Joseph, and the role he would play at Birmingham could be perfect. With a solid amount of Championship experience under his belt, the youngster could be a really useful rotation option, who will provide competition for Stansfield.

The Leeds youngster is a different type of striker to the ex-Fulham man, possessing great technical ability and will offer Birmingham an extra helping of sharpness in the box, which could be particularly effective later in a match when defenders are tired.

Davies also sets up his team to play on the front foot, meaning that speed, work-rate, and intelligence a key factors in any player who Birmingham would sign, and the Spanish youth international certainly possesses all of these traits.

His versatility across the frontline also makes him an excellent asset, allowing for more adaptability from the manager.

For these reasons, the Blues should push to secure the signing of the Leeds prospect, as not only does his ceiling remain high, but having him in the squad will help Stansfield to push himself further, so that he doesn't lose his place to Joseph if he signs.