Joe Gelhardt has attracted interest from Serie A club Lecce.
The striker could bring his three year stint at Leeds United to an end after enjoying a brief loan spell with Sunderland last season, according to CalcioLecce.
Gelhardt had bagged two goals and two assists as the Whites avoided relegation during the 2021-22 season, but a lack of opportunities the following campaign led to his loan move to Wearside in January.
The 21-year-old was left to take up a central lone striker role following injury to Ross Stewart and became a regular fixture under Tony Mowbray, claiming three goals and three assists as they reached the Championship play-offs.
Despite Leeds United’s relegation to the second tier, the Yorkshire outfit could part ways with Gelhardt on a permanent basis this summer.
Sunderland had briefly been linked with another move for Gelhardt as they remain eager to sign another striker, however The Northern Echo previously claimed it would be very unlikely if Leeds were relegated.
Joe Gelhardt will surely succeed at Lecce but he would have been the wrong choice for Sunderland
Joe Gelhardt is undoubtedly a very talented forward and he looked much more comfortable in Sunderland’s attack during the second half of his loan spell.
The Liverpool-born attacker received plenty of praise from Tony Mowbray, claiming he was a ‘wonderful’ player after only a few weeks at the Stadium of Light.
However, it quickly became very obvious that the youngster isn’t an out-and-out striker and struggled to play up top on his own – a position which he was forced to take as he was the only available forward at the club.
While Gelhardt would be able to express himself a lot more alongside Ross Stewart, it seems unlikely that the Black Cats will start games with two up front very often.
Mowbray needs to be able to rely on a player that can come in for Stewart and do a similar job – especially if the Scot isn’t going to be fit for a few weeks or even months into the new season.