Hull City in pole position to sign Leeds United player | OneFootball

Hull City have reportedly won the race to sign Leeds United star Joe Gelhardt on loan

Hull City are leading the race to sign Leeds United forward Joe Gelhardt, who is out of favour at Elland Road, having played just nine minutes of Championship football this term.

That's according to the Hull Daily Mail, who report that the Tigers have been on the hunt for a new striker for a number of months, and are now in talks with the Whites over signing Gelhardt on loan for the rest of the campaign, while the player himself is keen on moving to the MKM Stadium.

Hull lead the race to sign Leeds forward Gelhardt

As per the report, with Ruben Selles' men at the front of the queue to sign the ace, Daniel Farke's side are willing to sanction the Wigan Athletic academy product's exit, once they've established the full extent of fellow striker Patrick Bamford's hamstring injury, and will make their decision before the end of the week.

An X post by journalist Darren Witcoop on Sunday morning suggested that fellow Championship sides Portsmouth, Queens Park Rangers, Cardiff City, Derby County and Plymouth Argyle were all interested in landing the 22-year-old's services on loan.

Meanwhile, the Yorkshire Evening Post revealed back in November that as many as 10 clubs were eyeing a loan move for Gelhardt last summer, including Scottish giants Rangers, so it is evident that Selles and co have staved off high-profile competition amid their efforts to sign a new goalscorer.

The former Sunderland loanee was an unused substitute on Saturday afternoon, as the Tigers played out a thrilling 3-3 draw with the Whites, and it now appears as though the former England youth international was watching his new club in action.

Gelhardt could be a solid signing for Hull amid the club's relegation battle

The Tigers' draw on Saturday afternoon leaves them in the bottom three, albeit level on points with safety, following Portsmouth's defeat to Sunderland on Sunday.

The most concerning aspect of the Yorkshire club's season so far has been their lack of goals, as they have scored just 25 in 26 Championship fixtures, only one more than bottom club Plymouth.

While club top scorer Joao Pedro has managed a decent return of five goals in 18 league appearances, the Tigers' next highest goalscorer is Chris Bedia, with just three.

It is evident that Selles is in need of adding more quality to his attack, which is something that Gelhardt could certainly add, despite his lack of playing time at Elland Road.

The striker previously helped the Whites remain in the Premier League, with a return of two goals and two assists in just 20 appearances during the 2021/22 season, while he also helped Sunderland to a Championship play-off spot by notching three goals and three assists during a loan spell at the back end of the 2022/23 campaign.

The Tigers will now hope that the former Wigan man can help aid their survival efforts, as they look to avoid an unwanted League One return.