Leeds United the early bird in Joe Geldhardt interest

Following Leeds owner Andrea Radrizzani’s interview at the start of the week, journalists revealed that the Italian was going into a meeting after the interview on a player for next season.

Since then, Joe Geldhardt has emerged as the man that meeting was about, as Leeds look to secure a deal from under the noses of some top Premier League clubs.

Alan Nixon of The Sun and Graham Smyth from the YEP have both reported on this in the last 24 hours, with Nixon stating that Leeds are first in the door and “strongest“.

As Nixon says, Wigan want the full fee payed in full upfront due to their current administration, with The Tics looking to confirm a preferred buyer soon. When asked what the fee might be, Nixon responded with “Not much“, while also saying that Leeds were also looking into a move for fellow Wigan youngster McGurk, who is 17 years old and yet to make a senior appearance.

As for Geldhardt’s stats this season, the 18-year old made 17 appearances in The Championship, scoring one goal in a draw with Hull City in September. Though this looks uninspiring, Geldhardt rarely played more than 30 minutes when he did make an appearance, and it is despite this that Leicester, Liverpool, Spurs and other top clubs are looking to land his signature, with Leeds seeing him as a ‘coup’ if they were to win the race.

More is to be seen by the young striker, who is described as ‘pacey and aggressive’ and seemingly fueled by his passion, having come through the Wigan academy from a young age.

All in all, it seems that Leeds have already begun to attack the transfer market to try find a deal for young talent, but there will be more numbers following them soon.