Leeds United have four weeks to get a number of fringe players off their books before the summer transfer deadline.
Leeds United are in advanced talks with Hull City over a move for Joe Gelhardt, according to reports.
Gelhardt is one of several fringe players expected to leave Leeds this summer, having not featured in the first-team’s pre-season campaign whatsoever. The 23-year-old has instead been building fitness with the Under-21s alongside fellow likely exits Patrick Bamford and Sam Greenwood.
Last season Gelhardt played just 10 minutes of Championship football for Leeds before joining Hull on loan in January, where he went on to enjoy five months of regular football. The young striker went on to play 20 league games for the Tigers, starting 19 and scoring five goals.
That impressive spell came under Ruben Selles, who has since been sacked and appointed by Sheffield United, but incoming Hull boss Sergej Jakirovic appears keen to welcome Gelhardt back. Hull Live report talks are now taking place with Leeds over the possibility of another loan deal, this time for the full 2025/26 campaign.
Hull are said to be pushing to get a deal done in the next few days, with Jakirovic impressed when looking back on Gelhardt’s performances last season. The young forward is also thought to be keen on a return to the MKM Stadium and has informed Leeds as such.
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One possible stumbling block to the move was Gelhardt’s Leeds wages, which increased significantly following promotion. The former Wigan Athletic man, like many others who joined during the previous Premier League stint, suffered a pay decrease following relegation in 2023 due to a contract clause, which effectively ended this summer.
But that potential issue appears to have been ironed out, with Hull Live stating ‘common ground has been found to facilitate the move’ - albeit there is no detail what that common ground might be. The report also claims talks are ‘well advanced’ with hope a deal can be completed this week, potentially in time for Hull’s season-opener at Coventry City on Saturday.
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Leeds United transfer exit latest amid Joe Gelhardt talks
Gelhardt has two years left on a five-year contract he signed with Leeds in 2022, meaning he will return from this prospective loan spell with 12 months remaining. Elland Road chiefs had hoped to get between £3-4million for the Liverpudlian but in securing a loan exit, will also benefit from the removal of his Premier League wages off their books.
Like Gelhardt, Leeds are also looking for a fee in the low millions for two other 2024/25 Championship loanees. Greenwood has been playing alongside his England youth-level pal in the Under-21s set up this summer, having spent last season on loan at Preston North End, while Darko Gyabi returned from his second Plymouth Argyle spell in March due to a groin injury that required surgery.
Reports of interest in either have been scarce so far this summer, with only Greenwood fleetingly linked to cash-strapped Championship promotion hopefuls Leicester City. It remains to be seen if anyone will come forward to match those valuations, with less than four weeks remaining until the summer transfer window shuts on September 1.
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