Joe Gelhardt to Birmingham City transfer truth revealed | OneFootball

Birmingham City are interested in Leeds United's Joe Gelhardt, but a deal is not close for the attacker to move to St. Andrew's.

Joe Gelhardt played a crucial role in Hull City’s surprise promotion to the Premier League via the play-offs last season.

The Leeds United attacker has been highly-rated at Elland Road for some time after joining the club as a youngster from Wigan, but, for a host of reasons, he hasn’t always managed to show that ability on a consistent basis.

However, the 2025/26 campaign was a real breakthrough one for Gelhardt, as he managed to get regular game time, and he was a huge player for the Tigers, scoring 15 goals and registering five assists in their memorable season.

Birmingham City are interested in Leeds United’s Joe Gelhardt

With his loan having expired, the forward has returned to Leeds, but he didn’t join Daniel Farke’s side on their pre-season tour of America, as a transfer is seen as inevitable, with the Whites looking to cash in on a player who has entered the final year of his contract.

So, there has been plenty of speculation surrounding the future of Gelhardt, and Hull boss Sergej Jakirovic has made it clear that he wants to bring him back to the club.

Yet, Gelhardt may not get the game time that he wants with the newly-promoted side, which has left the door open for Championship clubs.

It had been suggested on social media that Birmingham were pushing to sign Gelhardt, and there were some indicating a deal was close.

But, in a fresh update, BBC reporter Mike White has stated that a deal for Gelhardt with Blues is not close, although he did confirm that they are among the clubs looking to sign the left-footer.

“Social media chat that Birmingham are interested in Gelhardt is accurate according to sources in the West Midlands," White wrote.

"However, understood to be among several clubs talking to him & Leeds but any suggestion Blues are close to signing is “wide of the mark”.”

Joe Gelhardt would be a smart signing for Birmingham City

You would imagine that Gelhardt wants his future sorted as soon as possible, as he is currently training with Leeds’ U21 side, so he will be keen to link up with a new club.

Obviously, the appeal of Hull to the forward is clear, as he has spent the past 18 months there, and they will be able to offer Premier League football.

But, Gelhardt needs to be playing week in, week out, and that has to be a priority at this stage of his career.

For Birmingham, it’s easy to see why they are interested, as Gelhardt is a player that can make a real difference in the final third.

Some would say that a left-sided attacker should be the number one target, but Gelhardt’s ability to play as a striker, behind a number nine, and from the right makes him a very useful option, and he could do a job on the left if needed.

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At his best, Gelhardt is a quality Championship player, and he should be ideally suited to the way that Chris Davies wants Blues to play, as they look to keep the ball on the ground.

This summer window has been a slow-burner for Blues, but it has always been the case of adding quality over quantity, and if they can seal a deal for Gelhardt, it would be a major coup going into the new season.