Acun Ilicali reveals potential Hull City transfer obstacle involving Leeds United | OneFootball

The Tigers will hope to sign their loan ace on a permanent basis this summer

Hull City chairman Acun Ilicali has revealed that the Tigers could face difficulties in pursuing a permanent deal for on-loan Leeds United forward, Joe Gelhardt, in the summer transfer window.

It has been a fascinating first half of the campaign for City, who have proven several doubters wrong under Sergej Jakirovic, as they find themselves firmly in and amongst the play-off conversation with over half of the Championship campaign already gone.

For the time being, Jakirovic's outfit have slipped out of the top six. However, this is down to the fact they now have a game in hand after their home clash with Watford at the MKM Stadium on Sunday afternoon was postponed due to player safety concerns.

In a roundabout sense, the re-arrangement of said fixture has represented a minor blessing for Jakirovic, who has been reduced to the bare bones when it comes to the options available to him across a handful of squad departments due to international call-ups, injuries, fitness issues and suspensions.

Gelhardt falls into the injury category at this present moment after sustaining a calf issue after the Tigers' well-documented 4-1 home defeat to promotion rivals, Middlesbrough, on December 5th, in which he netted his 10th goal of the season from the penalty spot to earn City a consolation strike.

Since then, Jakirovic's somewhat threadbare squad have largely been in impressive form, before Stoke City ended a run of five games unbeaten and 13 points accumulated from a possible 15 when Robert Bozenik's goal downed Hull to a defeat on New Year's Day.

Much has been made about what transfer activity will be conducted in HU3 between now and February 2nd, with the club still under the limitations of a transfer fee restriction that was imposed on them in the summer after delayed payments, although the end of the current transfer window will see said punishment vanquished.

As such, the main topic of discussion surrounding Gelhardt has been whether the Tigers will be able to strike a permanent deal in the summer as he enters the final 18 months of his current contract at Elland Road, with Leeds opting not to activate the recall clause inserted in his second loan agreement.

Gelhardt's potential has also been widely discussed ever since he broke into the first-team fold at Wigan Athletic in 2019, before joining Leeds for £1m the following summer.

After making over 50 appearances for the West Yorkshire side, Gelhardt saw his gametime hit a major decline under Daniel Farke, and he was eventually loaned out to Hull under Ruben Selles in January, where his five goals aided a final-day survival escape.

Despite reports of stumbling blocks emerging in a second loan pursuit last summer as Hull were hit with the aforementioned transfer limitations whilst United's Championship-winning season saw the 23-year-old receive a wage hike, he would return to the MKM on the opening day of the season, featuring in a goalless draw against Coventry City hours later.

It has been a remarkable year for the on-loan attacker, who was also named in the second tier's 'Team of 2025' last week after scoring 15 times for the Tigers, and he is expected to return from a calf problem in the coming weeks.

Yet, whilst it has been widely reported that City are hopeful of tying down Gelhardt to a permanent deal, Ilicali admits that it will not be straightforward.

"Gelhardt is a special boy," said the Tigers owner.

"The fans know the story about how much he pushed to come here, plus how much he sacrificed to come back to Hull City.

"I think Gelhardt is a special person, and for us, our target is to be with him permanently, so he's our own player. Of course, it is not something that is easy for us, but Jared (Dublin) and I did crazy things last summer, and I can say that we are on form, and I give us a good chance. I believe that we have the strength and power to manage, to succeed, to bring Joe Gelhardt into our family permanently," Ilicali explained.

Whilst City, Ilicali and their supporters will hope that circumstances allow for a permanent deal to be struck, the truth of the matter is that not all the cards are in their control.

As such, a deal could hinge on how the rest of the campaign plays out for the Tigers and their Yorkshire rivals, who are currently eight points clear of the Premier League relegation zone after an unbeaten run of seven games.

Gelhardt will also be wanting clarity on his future, given the sheer amount of speculation.