Hull City have agreed a deal to allow goalkeeper Anthony Racioppi to leave the MKM Stadium and make a permanent return to his native Switzerland.
City have been in talks with FC Sion over a move for the 26-year-old stopper, and those talks have now reached a conclusion which enables Racioppi to move back home, with confirmation expected in the coming days.
Geneva-born Racioppi joined the Tigers last summer from Young Boys and agreed a three-year deal plus a 12-month option, but played just once in the first team. That game was forgettable for both him and City, with an error costing a goal in a 2-1 first-round defeat at the hands of Sheffield Wednesday.
He never played a Championship game and was loaned out to FC Koln in Germany’s second division in January. Though his side won promotion back to the Bundesliga, he didn’t play a single minute and was restricted to just one reserve team outing.
Koln had the option of making that move permanent this summer, but opted against it. Instead, he will head back to the Swiss Super League, with City recouping some of the fee they paid 12 months ago. Sion finished third in the league behind winners FC Zurich and St Gallen.
The 6’2” gloveman has played for his country at Under-20 and Under-21 levels while being named in the senior squad in Switzerland’s Euro 2024 qualifying campaign.
City could yet add another goalkeeper to their ranks to provide competition to Ivor Pandur and new arrival Dillon Phillips, which would allow Harvey Cartwright to go out and play regular football, following in the footsteps of Thimothee Lo-Tutala, who joined Doncaster Rovers on loan. That would not happen until much later in the summer, with Jakirovic facing bigger priorities.
Meanwhile, rumours suggesting Pandur could leave the Tigers this summer are thought to be wide of the mark, with the club having no plans to allow the Croatian Player of the Year to move on, Hull Live understands.
Another of last summer’s arrivals, Marvin Mehlem, could also seal a move away. Mehlem spent the remainder of the season on loan at Paderborn. The club did have the option to make it permanent if they won promotion to the Bundesliga, but that clause was not activated after they missed out.
Mehlem, it’s understood, is attracting interest from clubs in Germany, and City will not stand in his way of a permanent return if a deal can be agreed.
Steven Alzate, Gustavo Puerta, and Matty Jacob continue to attract interest from potential suitors. The Tigers are keen to free up space on their wage bill and in their squad to enable Jakirovic to bolster his ranks and are working on adding more new arrivals.
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