'It's not a situation I like' - Farke on Joseph
- Published
Leeds boss Daniel Farke has confirmed striker Mateo Joseph "would like to move" away from the club.
The 21-year-old has three years left on his current deal, but has not travelled on the Whites' pre-season tour of Germany and "prefers a move to Spain", according to Farke.
Joseph made 39 appearances in the Championship last season, including 11 starts, and scored three goals.
"It was actually the plan to have him here [in Germany]," said Farke after his side beat SC Verl 4-1.
"With him the situation is quite clear. We really value and rate him - otherwise we wouldn't have played him, especially in the beginning of the last successful campaign ahead of a golden boot winner in Joel Piroe and an experienced striker like Patrick Bamford.
"Nevertheless, he came to me and asked for a new challenge and would like to move. He has also hinted that he prefers a move to Spain due to his Spanish roots. That was his call."
Farke has said he "won't stand in the way" of a move for Joseph, but expressed his disappointment.
"We have invested a lot in him - time, money and backing," Farke added.
"He's on a long-term contract and we value him. This is for our key people and the board to decide the value. The truth is that no other club has met our expectations yet.
"Because of that, we expected him to train and travel with us. He mentioned that he didn't feel ready for the trip to Stockholm. I accepted this because he started later with training. The day after, he said he didn't feel ready to travel to play the friendlies here in Germany.
"It's not a situation I like. I've spoken honestly to him and strongly recommended him to be professional but he said he's not in a mental state to do this.
"What should I do? I can't call the police to drag him here on the training pitch. It was his decision."