Leeds United sent transfer warning as striker's asking price reportedly slashed by 50 per cent

Don Goodman believes Leeds United might have to drop their £3-4million asking price for Joe Gelhardt even further amid reports it has already been slashed by more than half.

Gelhardt looks set to leave Leeds permanently following a successful six-month loan spell at Hull City, where he scored five goals in 20 games to help keep the Championship strugglers from relegation. The YEP reported earlier this week he is among three 2024/25 loan exits Elland Road chiefs hope will raise around £10m when sold, with Darko Gyabi and Sam Greenwood also expected to be available.

Leeds are believed to want somewhere between £3-4m for each of Gelhardt, Gyabi and Greenwood, although reports surrounding interest in the former suggest that price-tag was initially much higher. Hull Live claim Gelhardt’s loan club were initially told it would take between £7-8m to prise him away from Elland Road permanently, a valuation the second-tier club were highly unlikely to meet.

Hull are expected to be back ‘in the hunt’ for Gelhardt now his price-tag has been slashed, with £3-4m a much more manageable price for the majority of the Championship. But they will not be short of competition, with the former Wigan Athletic man attracting plenty of suitors during his six-month loan stint at the MKM Stadium.

One possible stumbling block, however, is Gelhardt’s wages. As with every squad member who signed during Leeds’ three years in the Premier League, the 23-year-old signed top-flight terms and while they were automatically reduced following relegation, they are believed to have risen back up with Daniel Farke’s side promoted.

There is also a significant chance incoming Hull City manager Sergej Yakirovic will want to sign his own transfer targets, a potential blow for Gelhardt whose previous boss Ruben Selles made no secret of wanting a permanent deal for the young forward. Other Championship clubs are likely to be keen on a move for the Leeds man but that £3-4m price-tag may have to fall further.

Leeds United sent Joe Gelhardt transfer warning

Leeds signed Gelhardt for just £1m following their previous Championship title win under Marcelo Bielsa, and so are likely to make a profit on the youngster. But it remains to be seen exactly how much, with Hull Live suggesting a deal could ‘prove a step too far’ financially for the Tigers.

There was plenty of Championship interest in Gelhardt last summer, and again before he joined Hull on loan in January, with those eyes unlikely to have looked away during an impressive spell at the MKM Stadium. But with prospective clubs also having to factor in the forward’s significant wage increase, Sky Sports pundit Don Goodman believes Leeds might have to accept a lower fee than planned.

“We’ve spoken about Joe Gelhardt before in terms of him being bought by Hull City, and he’s done okay,” Goodman Football League World. “I think we’ve described it as okay before, not spectacular, and an outlay of £3-4m on a player that’s just done okay seems a little bit excessive to me. I think that’s the thing that would hold Leeds back in actually getting him off the wage bill is probably a price that not too many teams are going to be prepared to pay.”

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