Joel Piroe is finished at Leeds United as transfer ‘destined’ to go through in January
Joel Piroe’s time at Leeds United looks to be set to draw to an inevitable conclusion in the January transfer window.
The Dutchman was the hero of the Whites’ promotion-winning campaign in the Championship last term, as his 19-goal effort topped the scoring charts for the entire division.
Piroe has struggled badly for gametime at Leeds so far this season, as he has still played just 197 minutes of Premier League football at the 15-game mark.
Daniel Farke has often preferred Dominic Calvert-Lewin to lead the line at the top of the pitch so far this season, and the writing now appears to be on the wall for Piroe ahead of the winter window.
Santiago Gimenez interest to trigger Joel Piroe sale in January
Former Manchester United chief scout Mick Brown exclusively told Football Insider earlier this week that Leeds still want to sign a “top-class” striker in January, despite Calvert-Lewin’s recent improvement.
The ex-Everton star endured a slow start to the campaign, but has now scored in three consecutive games, with those strikes coming against Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool respectively.
Farke and Co. now look to have got their eyes fixed firmly on their first-choice attacking target this winter, as they have now joined the race to sign Santiago Gimenez from AC Milan, according to Tutto Mercato.
The Italian outlet understands that the Mexican is “destined” to leave the San Siro this winter, with the Rossoneri focusing their own transfer efforts towards trying to find a replacement for him.
The Whites look set to face a battle from West Ham for his signature, and if they win the race for Gimenez, then it will surely spell the end for Piroe, given that he would be forced even further down the pecking order in West Yorkshire.
Leeds will hope to rediscover Gimenez’s Feyenoord form
Gimenez was briefly linked with a move to Sunderland earlier this season, but with the North East outfit seemingly now out of the race, the door could be opening for Leeds to strike a deal.
If the Whites could get their hands on the 24-year-old, then they would be desperately hoping that they could help him return to the prolific form that he displayed during his previous stint at Feyenoord.
| Season | Team | Games | Goals | Assists |
| 2025-26 | AC Milan | 11 | 1 | 1 |
| 2024-25 | Feyenoord/AC Milan | 38 | 22 | 6 |
| 2023-24 | Feyenoord | 41 | 26 | 8 |
| 2022-23 | Feyenoord | 45 | 23 | 2 |
The striker has managed seven goals in 30 appearances for Milan since he joined them back in February, but he had been even more prolific during his time in the Netherlands.
Gimenez notched 23 and 26 goals in all competitions in his opening two campaigns with the Rotterdam outfit, before Milan swooped after 16 strikes from his opening 19 games last term.
Calvert-Lewin has done a sterling job for Farke’s charges of late, but he simply doesn’t possess the same level of goalscoring instincts as Gimenez.
If Leeds could strike a deal to get him in January, then it could provide the crucial shot in the arm that their survival push needs.