Wrexham are reportedly interested in signing Leeds United forward Joe Gelhardt, according to the Daily Mail. The Welsh club could make a bid worth around £4.5m for the 24-year-old as they look to strengthen their attacking options for the upcoming season.
Gelhardt's impressive loan spell
Gelhardt has spent the last two seasons on loan at Hull City, where he played a key role in their promotion to the Premier League. He scored 14 league goals in 39 Championship appearances and added another in the play-off final victory over Middlesbrough at Wembley.
Wrexham narrowly missed out on the play-off places last season, finishing behind Hull, and believe Gelhardt could help them go one better this time around.
Wrexham's promotion ambitions
Last season was the first in four years that did not end in promotion for Wrexham, who had secured three consecutive promotions to return to the second tier. The club, co-owned by Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, has clear ambitions to reach the Premier League, and few would bet against them being contenders this season.
Hull, meanwhile, are looking to refresh their squad for their return to the top flight, and have reportedly considered bringing Gelhardt back. They have also shown interest in Swansea City's Zan Vipotnik, but had a bid rejected on Monday. The bid is believed to be below Swansea's £20m valuation of the Slovenian.
More signings on the horizon
Wrexham are also close to signing Sunderland goalkeeper Anthony Patterson in an £8m deal. The club have already brought in wing-back Danny Imray and midfielder Ben Whiteman this summer.
Manager Phil Parkinson has hinted that more arrivals could follow. "We feel we're not where we need to be yet and we know that," he said ahead of a 1-0 defeat to Middlesbrough. "We're working, as ever, to make sure that the squad is as strong as it needs to be in what is going to be an incredibly competitive division. We're under no illusions about that. We've got to make this squad so strong and we are working tirelessly to bring those extra players in to give everybody a boost."
