(Credit: Imago)

Jonathan Burnett

Sun 10 August 2025 19:43, UK

Joel Piroe looks set to be Leeds United’s starting striker for their Premier League opener as transfer talks grind to a halt.

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Leeds have made signing a new striker a priority this summer despite being English football’s top scorers divisions last season, with Piroe netting 19 of the Whites’ 95 goals on their way to the Championship title.

Daniel Farke has already made key decisions on several members of last season’s squad, with Patrick Bamford told he’s surplus to requirements at Elland Road and Mateo Joseph trying to force a move away.

Lukas Nmecha’s arrival from Wolfsburg on a free transfer is Leeds’ only addition in the final third thus far, but Farke is still down on numbers and after Joseph completed his season-long loan move to Mallorca.

Piroe was by far Leeds’ most potent striker in the Championship last season (Credit: Imago)

Leeds’ attempts to bring in Rodrigo Muniz have come to nothing after Fulham rejected a £32million bid for the Brazilian, with Farke’s search for a starting number nine set to continue well into the new season.

Piroe and Nmecha have alternated in Leeds’ starting attack over the course of pre-season with no new competition incoming at Elland Road, netting six goals between them to assuage Farke’s potential fears.

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The Dutchman has scored four of those goals and started up front against AC Milan in Leeds’ final pre-season friendly at Dublin’s Aviva Stadium, which saw Anton Stach find the net in a 1-1 draw on Saturday.

Piroe posted on Instagram (10 August) as the countdown begins to Leeds’ first Premier League clash against Everton, and said: “All eyes on the Premier League opener now.

See you soon at our home”.

Several Leeds players liked Piroe’s post, and new left-back Gabriel Gudmundsson left two strong-arm emojis in the comments to show his support.

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Football Insider Verdict

Piroe may have collected the Championship‘s Golden Boot award with his 19 strikes, but as the leading striker of a side which created close to 100 goals, a further step up in quality is needed for the top-flight.

Nmecha’s injury record will also do little to calm fans’ fears heading into the new season, and Leeds have been tipped to re-enter the fray for Everton striker Beto in the wake of Joseph’s confirmed exit to LaLiga.

Muniz remains the gold-standard of strikers Leeds have assessed this summer, and though a number 10, left winger and right-back would also be appreciated at Elland Road, it’s clear that centre-forward is still their most pressing need.

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