Leeds loanee Gelhardt is within the top five Championship goalscorers this season
Isaac Johnson Leeds United reporter
11:51, 24 Feb 2026
Joe Gelhardt celebrates scoring against QPR on Saturday
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Joe Gelhardt celebrates scoring against QPR on Saturday(Image: Tony King/Getty Images)
Hull City sporting director Jared Dublin has made it clear to Leeds United that his club will look to retain loanee Joe Gelhardt this summer.
The striker is contracted to Leeds until 2027 but has not played for Daniel Farke since October 2024, having spent the second half of last season at the Tigers amidst a starvation of game time.
Gelhardt was not taken on United’s pre-season tour and club chiefs had initially sought a sale in the summer before ultimately agreeing to loan him back to Hull - who are under transfer restrictions this season - for the whole of the campaign.
The 23-year-old scored eight times in 10 Championship games before injuring his hamstring in December, which kept him out for five weeks. Gelhardt’s loan did have a mid-season recall clause but Leeds sources outlined that there were no plans to bring him back to Elland Road.
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As a result, he stayed on at Hull and scored for the first time post-injury in Saturday’s 3-1 defeat to Queens Park Rangers, taking his season tally to 11. Numerous Hull chiefs, including owner Acun Ilicali, have gone public with their desire to acquire Gelhardt beyond this season.
Sporting director Jared Dublin has now given an early overview of the club’s summer plans, amid the reality that Hull cannot dish out money for a transfer until the new financial cycle starts on July 1 as things stand.
Asked about Gelhardt by Hull Live, Dublin said: “Division [is] probably the most important, and with Joffy (Gelhardt) in particular, where Leeds are, should they maintain Premier League status or come down, so there's loads of moving parts.
"On the Joffy one, it's very clear. I've been very vocal, the chairman, the gaffer, Joffy knows how much we love him, how much we value him, how much we would love for him to continue his Hull City story. That's case closed on that one. We'll see what happens.
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"We want to get to the stage where we have continuity in the group. We're not just a revolving door of players in and out and trying to find chemistry and trying to find relationships, hopefully bringing some back as we did with Joffy would help, whether that's permanent or a loan, we'll see come summer."
The league status of Leeds, who currently sit six points clear of the Premier League relegation zone with 11 matches left to play, would inevitably impact their summer plans, albeit there are only two windows in which to yield a fee for Gelhardt under his current deal.
United are understood to be thrilled with Gelhardt’s loan progress, with Farke and senior staff underlining his good attitude and work ethic throughout the periods of limited game time at Elland Road. The forward had registered three goals and seven assists in 57 first-team appearances for Leeds.