Hull City are facing a battle to keep their star defender at the MKM Stadium amid strong interest
Hull City head coach Sergej Jakirovic has teased the idea of Coventry City trying to unsettle Charlie Hughes ahead of Saturday’s big Championship opener at the CBS Arena.
The Sky Blues have seen £4m and £7m bids for the Tigers star defender turned down in recent days, with City determined to keep the 21-year-old at the MKM Stadium beyond the summer.
City have made it clear that they don’t want to sell Hughes this summer, believing that his value will soar after a second Championship campaign with the East Yorkshire club, and if a move is to follow, it would be to a Premier League club next year.
“Yes, of course (had conversations with Charlie),” Jakirovic told Hull Live ahead of City being sent to Coventry to begin their campaign. “Charlie will want to stay with us.”
Frank Lampard’s side are not the only ones courting the former Wigan Athletic youngster, with Sheffield United keen on striking a deal, but City’s valuation for their vice-captain is significantly higher than both clubs have enquired about so far.
The Tigers are determined to keep Hughes and believe that he will increase his value significantly with another campaign in the second tier under his belt.
Jakirovic says interest in the club’s best players comes as no surprise, and is perfectly normal with the window open until the beginning of next month, and he expects that interest could yet grow before suggesting it could have been a tactical move from the Sky Blues.
“This is normal (offers) because the transfer period is still long,” he said. “Maybe in the next few days, there will come more offers, I don’t know that, but this is a question for Mr. Chairman (Acun Ilicali).”
“Maybe they did that on purpose,” the Bosnian then suggested. “You never know, yes, but this is also the tactics (other clubs use), I don’t know.
“Charlie is a very good player for us, very, very important. For me, the best way is for him to stay here for this season, and then his next step must be to the Premier League. This is the normal way.”
Jakirovic says that he’s spoken at length with Hughes about the future and told him that he believes his next move should be into the Premier League, something the young defender agreed with. He said: “I’m speaking with my players all the time, this is a must, and that’s my opinion, and I told him. He agreed with me.”
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