Leeds United forward Joel Piroe appears to turn down new challenge ahead of Elland Road battle for places

The Dutchman qualifies for the Caribbean nation through his parentage and last season turned down a call-up in order to focus on Leeds' promotion bid.

This summer, he has not been selected in Suriname's finalised Gold Cup squad which will see the nation take on Mexico, Costa Rica and Junior Firpo's Dominican Republic in the group stage.

Piroe is expected to face fresh competition for places at Elland Road when Leeds take to the field in 2025/26 with the Whites likely to sign a new centre-forward to bolster their attacking options.

Last season, Piroe claimed the Championship's Golden Boot prize after notching 19 goals in 46 appearances for Leeds, en route to winning the title. However, the 25-year-old was too often considered not to be a factor in games, which may lead the Whites' hierarchy to pursue an alternate in attack.

Piroe did manage to hold down his place as Daniel Farke's No. 1 pick at centre-forward after initially seeing himself usurped by up-and-coming striker Mateo Joseph during the opening few games of the season. Patrick Bamford is another attacking option to lead the line in the Premier League, although for the experienced Leeds man that is unlikely to be the case.

Nevertheless, Piroe will not go up against Firpo on the international stage after the Dominican Republic and Suriname were drawn in the same group. There is doubt whether Firpo will be in condition to appear at the tournament after withdrawing from recent FIFA World Cup qualifying matches versus Guatemala and Dominica.

Piroe’s international history

Leeds’ centre-forward is uncapped by the Netherlands at senior international level, allowing him to switch allegiances if he chose to do so, appearing instead for the Dutch side at Under-15, Under-16, Under-18, Under-19 and Under-20 level in the past.