Leeds United could deny striker international call-up as club-vs-country headache and tournament rules revealed

The 33rd Olympic Games in the modern era, set to be hosted in French capital Paris, could see the Leeds youngster miss the majority of Leeds' pre-season due to his participation, if he is ultimately selected by head coach Santi Denia.

Joseph was named in Spain's Under-21 squad during the last mid-season international break, after officially switching his allegiance back to the country of his birth from England, for whom he had featured at last year's Under-20 World Cup.

Ahead of the 2024/25 Championship campaign, Joseph has been tipped by many to have a breakout season under Daniel Farke given Patrick Bamford's repeated injury concerns, Joel Piroe's suitability - or lack, thereof - in the No. 9 role and Farke's preference to deploy Georginio Rutter in a deeper attacking role.

While there is no guarantee Joseph starts the new season in a starring role, should he go to Paris with Spain's Olympic squad, he could miss out on the chance to stake an early-season claim to the starting berth in Farke's XI.

This is due to the scheduling of the tournament, which begins in late July and is likely to mean Joseph misses the majority of Leeds' pre-season calendar. If Spain, who may well go deep in the tournament owing to their strength on paper, make the Men's Olympic Final, Joseph could feasibly be away from Thorp Arch until Friday, August 9 at the earliest. Leeds' Championship campaign begins that weekend and if their season opener is chosen for live TV broadcast, the team could kick-off 2024/25 on August 9 themselves.

Given he is yet to fully establish himself at Elland Road, participation at the Olympics could leave Joseph playing catch-up for senior minutes and recognition from his manager, having instead chosen to represent his country. While participation at the Olympic Games would be a huge honour for the 20-year-old striker, Joseph's desire to break into the first-team picture once-and-for-all at Leeds could supersede the chance to feature in Paris.

Last year, the forward picked up an ankle injury on the eve of the new season and by the time he had returned to contention, Farke had settled on a combination of Piroe and Georginio in attack, with Bamford in reserve from the bench.

Leeds can veto Joseph's inclusion if he is ultimately selected in Denia's squad as the Olympic Games are governed by the IOC (International Olympic Committee), not FIFA, which means clubs are not obligated to release their players for such tournaments. Talks are likely to be held with the youngster upon his return to Leeds for pre-season testing and training early next month, to decide upon a course of action regarding the tournament, however at this stage it is unlikely he will be released for the competition.

France Under-21 coach Thierry Henry spoke earlier this month about the difficulty in selecting players for his preliminary squad, which did not include Leeds' Rutter.

“The last time I faced so many rejections was in school. The players you don’t see are because their clubs said ‘no’. There’s no discussion: you come, you ask, they say ‘no’, and you leave. The clubs are within their rights. My stance hasn’t changed. We knew we would face this situation. I expected it. I would have been more surprised if it were the other way around."

Joseph is not the only Leeds player who could be facing the Olympic dilemma after Junior Firpo was named as one of the three permitted over-age players in the Dominican Republic's preliminary squad for the Games. The 27-year-old has spent the past couple of weeks on international duty in the Caribbean, representing the country of his birth in FIFA World Cup qualifying.

Spain U21 boss Denia previously said of the Leeds forward: "We believe in Mateo for the future, not for the U-21, but for the future of the federation - I think he can be important." The coach's comments suggest Joseph is a strong contender to be named in Spain's final squad list, which is to be announced by July 3, although Leeds' stance is unlikely to grant Joseph clearance.