Celtic have made enquiry about Elland Road forward

Celtic are looking to strengthen their forward line and have inquired about Leeds United forward Joe Gelhardt, according to transfer expert Dean Jones.

The Bhoys have had a mixed campaign thus far, and Brendan Rodgers will be looking to shape the squad to his liking. The Hoops currently lead the Scottish Premiership table by eight points, but that gap could be reduced to two points if Rangers win their game in hand.

While Matt O’Riley and Kyogo Furuhashi have impressed this season, Rodgers will be concerned about the inconsistent performances of some of the other forwards. He intends to add one more attacker to the team and has identified Gelhardt as a potential candidate.

West Bromwich Albion and Scottish rivals Rangers are also interested in signing the “excellent” attacker, who currently earns £15k per week at Elland Road.

Jones believes Celtic will likely look to sign him on loan.

“I guess it’d be a loan move. Gelhardt would be a nice profile player because he seems ready to perform on the right platform,” Jones told GiveMeSport.

“He’s got excellent traits that probably need a bit of development now. I’m not surprised that enquiries are being made on both fronts from Rangers or Celtic at this moment in time. For a player like Gelhardt, it’s probably confidence-boosting to have those conversations happening around you right now. Whether they can come to fruition and turn into a transfer is different, but I don’t think it’s harming anybody to look at that situation.”

Celtic have already added to their squad this month, signing Rapid Vienna winger Nicolas Kuhn for £3 million. However, Gelhardt would be an excellent signing.

This season, the Leeds attacker has made just two Championship starts. When Gelhardt first arrived on the scene under Marcelo Bielsa, the club was hesitant to sign new strikers, citing concerns that it would impede his development.

He still has a lot of potential, but he hasn’t performed well under Farke. A move to Celtic Park could be ideal for his growth.

In other news, An optimistic Rocco Vata report has emerged.