Exclusive: Hull City Desperate to Land Joe Gelhardt Permanently as Leeds Exit Looms

Hull City are desperate to sign Leeds United loan forward Joe Gelhardt on a permanent deal, SportsBoom sources can reveal.

The 23-year-old impressed with five goals for the Tigers after arriving in the January transfer window.

But the Tigers narrowly avoided Championship relegation after a season to forget and the Yorkshire club know it will be tough to entice Gelhardt to play his football with them again next season, especially with manager Ruben Selles having recently been sacked.

Gelhardt finished the club’s joint-second top scorer and fitted in well during his time at the MKM Stadium, having found first-team chance at Leeds limited.

And with the Whites having achieved a memorable promotion back to the Premier League, Gelhardt’s chances of playing for the club have dwindled away even further.

The player is keen for a permanent move away from Elland Road to guarantee himself regular football.

But SportsBoom understands that a couple of Championship clubs have expressed an interest in his next move and are monitoring the situation.

ONE YEAR LEFT

Gelhardt, who is valued at roughly £3million, only has one year left on his Leeds contract. 

The former Wigan Athletic graduate has represented England at Under-20, U18, U17 and U16 level and is regarded as a real talent for the future.

He joined a loan spell with Sunderland before his second loan spell being with Hull.

But Gelhardt is likely to have plenty of other offers to play Championship football, with interest expected to intensify in the next couple of months.

Meanwhile, the club are set to sign Bayern Leverkusen loan player Gustavo Puerta on a permanent deal this summer. The 21-year-old midfielder has agreed to sign a three-year deal with the Tigers.