Leeds United have confirmed the signing of striker Joel Piroe from fellow Championship side Swansea City.
Piroe joins the Whites on a four year deal for an undisclosed fee, becoming the fifth signing Leeds have made this summer following the arrivals of Ethan Ampadu, Sam Byram, Karl Darlow and Joe Rodon.
The Dutchman has been a long-standing transfer target for the West Yorkshire club, something which is hardly surprising given the forward’s prolific goalscoring record in the second-tier.
Piroe has netted 46 times in 96 appearances across all competitions for the Swans since joining from Dutch outfit PSV Eindhoven in the summer of 2021 for a fee believed to be in the region of £1-2m.
And whilst the 24-year-old is yet to open his account in the league so far this term, it is expected that he will provide a drastic boost to a Leeds attack which has found itself weakened by the departure of last season’s top scorer Rodrigo to Qatari side Al-Rayyan this summer, as well as through injuries to Patrick Bamford and Mateo Joseph.
A Leeds statement confirming the signing read: “Leeds United are delighted to announce the signing of Swansea City striker Joel Piroe, subject to a work permit and international clearance.
“The 24-year-old Dutchman joins the Whites in a permanent transfer, arriving at Elland Road for an undisclosed fee.
“He has put pen-to-paper on a four-year deal in West Yorkshire, running until the summer of 2027.”
Recent negotiations between Piroe and Swansea concerning an extension of his contract – currently set to expire next year – are understood to have broken down, leaving Leeds able to swoop in what will widely be regarded as one of the best bits of business done in this transfer window.
Leeds are also reported to be close to securing the signing of German playmaker Nadiem Amiri from Bayer Leverkusen for a reported fee of £5.5m.
With the summer trading period set to end in little over a week’s time, there is still room for the Yorkshire giants to strengthen in other areas, most notably at left-back and in midfield.
The Whites travel to Portman Road this weekend to take on table-topping Ipswich Town, with manager Daniel Farke hoping to guide his side to their first league victory of the campaign.
