New claim made on Hull City's chance of re-signing Joe Gelhardt from Leeds United | OneFootball

Gelhardt enjoyed a productive loan spell at the MKM Stadium

Hull City's chances of striking a fresh transfer agreement for Joe Gelhardt have become clearer as exit talk continues to surround the Leeds United forward.

The striker, who turned 23 on Sunday, saw his game time become extremely limited in West Yorkshire following Leeds' relegation from the Premier League in 2023, with Daniel Farke often turning to fellow young frontman, Mateo Joseph, when it came to offering fresh blood in attack in place of the experienced Joel Piroe and Patrick Bamford.

However, since January, Gelhardt has somewhat reignited his young career at the MKM Stadium, playing a key role under Ruben Selles as the Tigers completed their short-term survival mission with a 1-1 draw at Portsmouth on Saturday, which condemned relegation rivals Luton Town to back-to-back relegations from the Premier League down to League One.

The Liverpudlian quickly became a fan favourite across the M62 and has spoken at length about how much he has benefited from the decision to source regular Championship minutes under the Spaniard, who, like Gelhardt, is in the dark when it comes to his immediate future, with reports in recent days claiming that Turkish owner, Acun Ilicali, is considering yet another change in the dugout.

Hull City's chances of striking fresh Joe Gelhardt agreement become clearer amid Leeds United exit talk

After gaining just 64 minutes of second-tier and EFL Cup action for Leeds early in the season, Gelhardt described his move to the MKM as a "no-brainer," whilst Hull's justification of the short-term move was immediate after a stunning effort in a 2-1 defeat to QPR on his home debut.

The former Wigan Athletic man has gone on to notch five goals in 22 appearances for the Tigers, ending the campaign as the club's joint-second highest scorer alongside Abu Kamara, one behind Joao Pedro with six, as City's goalscoring woes were evident all season.

Selles has utilised Gelhardt's services in a number of roles across the attack and spoke about the potential for a permanent transfer in March, although such talk would be swept under the carpet until City's second-tier status was secured.

It then emerged via the Sun that, as a result of Leeds' return to the top-flight, a wage hike clause in the forward's contract was automatically triggered, with Capology ESTIMATING a weekly salary of £15,000 as he remains tied down until 2027 in LS11.

Earlier this week, TEAMtalk claimed that the Whites will listen to offers for Gelhardt alongside Sam Greenwood, whilst Josuha Guilavogui and Sam Byram are set to depart as their contracts run out, with a fresh update from Hull Live stating that City's best chance of seeing the striker don the black and amber next term would be through yet another loan agreement as a result of Leeds' financial demands.

Hull City have bigger priorities at present despite clamour for Joe Gelhardt stay

As a result of his relentless energy and quality in the final third, there has, and will be, continued clamour for the England youth international to remain at Hull heading into next season.

However, as we saw this time last year, City's biggest priority at this moment in time is the managerial position as exit talk continues to surround Selles, with fellow second-tier outfits also monitoring the 43-year-old's situation, as the likes of Norwich City, West Bromwich Albion and Queens Park Rangers are all managerless at present.

Therefore, besides the recent activation of a clause in Gustavo Puerta's initial loan move from Bayer Leverkusen which triggered a reported £3m permanent transfer, it is hard to see any clear-cut transfer activity taking place in East Yorkshire until such a key priority is resolved, with all concerned with the club hoping for a swift resolution to said drama.