Hull City look like they will have to take a patient approach if they are to land an exciting young signing in Harrison Armstrong from Everton. The Tigers, along with Championship rivals Blackburn Rovers and Derby County, have been linked with a loan deal for the 18-year-old midfielder.
Armstrong spent the second half of last season on loan at Derby and was a key figure in helping the club avoid relegation, with the Rams very interested in bringing him back to the club on a season-long loan. Derby will no doubt consider themselves in the strongest position to get a deal done having formed a good relationship with the player and Everton.
Currently shackled by financial restrictions which mean they can only sign free agents or loan players without a fee, the Tigers are reportedly keen to add Armstrong to their squad for the forthcoming campaign.
However, Everton boss David Moyes is also a big admirer of his young talent and sources on Merseyside have indicated Moyes is considering keeping his young charge at the club with the possibility he could be in line for a breakthrough campaign at the new Hill Dickinson Stadium.
Much will depend on how Armstrong trains over the coming weeks but also on the transfer business Everton do, with potential incomings and outgoings affecting where Armstrong will find himself in the pecking order and what his chances of playing any meaningful minutes look like.
Moyes is expected to take his time on the decision, meaning any prospective club wanting to take the teenager on loan will likely have to wait until the final stages of the transfer window.
Meanwhile, City have seen one proposed deal officially ended after Louie Barry completed his switch to Sheffield United. The Aston Villa man had been close to sealing a return to Hull City this summer following his loan spell last season, but that hope was ended after City were hit by a transfer embargo over a failed payment for that loan deal, with the current transfer fee restriction ending any hope of reigniting talks.
Barry now links up with ex-City boss Ruben Selles, who said: “Louie has been there, we know him really well. We will see what happens. I don’t want numbers to complete a squad, I want quality. The boys that we are working on will be, in my opinion, high-profile players.”
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