Credit: Tung Manh Phan/ Breaking Media

Daniel Davis

Sun 5 April 2026 8:10, UK

Leeds United striker Joe Gelhardt has admitted he would prefer to stay at Hull City.

Gelhardt is impressing in his second loan stint at the Championship play-off hopefuls, but has not played competitively for his parent club since October 2024.

The 23-year-old loanee has scored 13 goals and registered five assists at the MKM Stadium this campaign, having also spent the back half of last term there.

He had not been included in Daniel Farke‘s plans for this season, but after the Whites initially weighed up selling him during the summer, it was decided he would continue at Hull.

Now, having spoken out on his future, Gelhardt has made Leeds’ decision much easier.

Joe Gelhardt hands Leeds transfer headache

According to BBC journalist James Hoggarth, Gelhardt told him that “he’d like to stay beyond his loan at Hull City.” That is not a shock, but his public admittance leaves Leeds in a bind.

The ace has contributed to 17 Championship goals so far this year, meaning he could be a cost-effective addition to Leeds’ squad should they drop out of the Premier League.

But they are also in a quandary, because Whites supporters are unlikely to want to keep players actively agitating for a move away, regardless of their output.

Hull owner Acun Ilicali is keen to sign Gelhardt for the long-term, but he will have to wait until at least June 30 due to transfer restrictions at the club.

That will give Leeds invaluable time to weigh up the player’s uncertain future, which is likely to be heavily dictated by the league they will be playing in next season.

Gelhardt will have just 12 months remaining on his contract this summer and so would not command a hefty transfer fee, but the club would do well to offload him and take a stand.

Will Gelhardt stay at Elland Road next season?

As it stands, a parting of the ways looks the most agreeable course of action.

It has not been ruled out that Gelhardt could be included in Farke’s squad next season, potentially in place of Joel Piroe, but the boss will not want players not fully committed.

The big question, then, is how much Leeds would be able to fetch for him. It is also not a foregone conclusion that Hull land him permanently, with multiple other clubs surely circling.

For now, Leeds are maintaining radio silence with Gelhardt, allowing him to focus solely on scoring the goals that could see the Tigers promoted.

Talks will have to wait until the summer.