Potential Rangers deal for 22y/o former wonderkid left in limbo as 'preferred option' revealed

Gelhardt is understood to be available for loan during the January transfer window as he down the pecking order at Elland Road. Rangers are claimed to be one of many clubs keen to broker a deal with Leeds for the 22-year-old, but it is now their Yorkshire rivals Hull who lead the race for his services.

Their new manager Ruben Selles wants to add more firepower to his team as they bid to stay in the Championship and the Hull hierarchy have now entered into negotiations with their Leeds counterparts for Gelhardt. Hull Live claims that the striker’s preferred option is to move to the MKM Stadium.

Rangers manager Philippe Clement is hoping to add reinforcements to his squad this month, although the Belgian has already admitted that he does not have much scope for manoeuvre. The Ibrox club currently has three strikers on the books in in-form Hamza Igamane, Cyriel Dessers and Danilo - with Dessers, who has lost his place as the main No 9, said to be on the radar of clubs in Europe and in the United States.

However, with a crippling injury list in defence, Clement will likely prioritise defensive recruits. Veteran Northern Irish centre-half Jonny Evans has become the latest name to be linked with Rangers over the past few days.

Gelhardt is not on prohibitive wages at Leeds, but with Hull and other clubs in England’s second tier vying for his signature, it would appear that the Liverpool-born forward is poised to remain south of the border.

The former England Under-20 internationalist plays either as a central striker, a No 10 or wide left and was once compared to Wayne Rooney as England’s latest wonderkid. He scored twice for Leeds during two seasons in the English Premier League as a teenager, but recently has struggled for form and with injuries, with a loan spell at Sunderland not going to plan.

He has only played ten minutes of league football under current Leeds manager Daniel Farke and has missed two months of the season with a hip issue, although he returned to the bench their last match - ironically away at Hull.