Who is Joe Gelhardt? Why are Leeds, Liverpool and Chelsea keen on him? All you need to know about Wigan hotshot

One of which is Wigan Athletic striker Joe Gelhardt... here, we take a look at everything you need to know about the 18-year-old Liverpool-born striker.

What do the YEP know about a potential deal?

Leeds United are keen admirers of Wigan Athletic youngster Joe Gelhardt but face top Premier League opposition for his signature, with the Wigan man is also the subject of interest from Everton, Liverpool, Tottenham and Chelsea.

The YEP understands he's not the only promising young player Leeds have looked at but were they to pull it off, his signing would be seen as a real coup at Elland Road.

What type of player is Gelhardt?

Geldhard is a goal-getting striker, who has impressed when afforded the opportunity for Wigan this season, making substitute appearances against Barnsley and Stoke CIty in recent months.

The forward has made 17 appearances in the Championship this season, scoring one goal.

At such a young age, Gelhardt represents tremendous potential – a trait Bielsa is particularly interested in, having signed the likes of Ian Poveda previously.

What else do we know about him?

As well as appearing in Wigan’s first team, Gelhardt has also made an impact on the club’s youth team this season, scoring a hat-trick in an FA Youth Cup fourth round tie against Hull City.

The youngster has also made waves with England’s international youth teams, netting 19 times in 27 appearances across the various age groups.

Why are Wigan prepared to let him go?

The Latics may be forced to sell their prized asset due to financial difficulties – the club were placed into administration on July 1.

Paul Cook’s side are currently 13th in the Championship but will find themselves in the relegation zone after 46 games should they fail to beat Fulham because of the 12-point deduction.

Gelhardt has just one year remaining on his contract at Wigan, but the Championship club's financial difficulties and potential relegation may force them to seek a quick sale.

That means Leeds United could bag the highly-rated youngster on a cut-price deal.