Hull City head coach Sergej Jakirovic has confirmed the club are closing in on the signing of goalkeeper Konstantinos Tzolakis in what would be a major signal of intent from the Premier League newboys.
According to the Tigers boss, his side are closing in on a move for the Olympiacos goalkeeper and Jakirovic said he’s had nothing but positive conversations with the Greek international in recent days after an agreement was struck with Evangelos Marinakis, the owner of the Athens giants.
A highly-rated international, Tzolakis is looking forward to joining City and getting his first shot at the Premier League, Jakirovic went on to say.
Hull Live reported on Friday morning that the Tigers were confident of getting a deal over the line, with the belief that the 23-year-old would link up with the squad in Slovenia next week, when City begin their two-week training camp, which also sees them head to Istanbul before flying home at the beginning of August.
It’s expected his medical will take place in the next few days, and pending his contract being signed, his arrival could be confirmed early next week before City’s first friendly of the summer against Konyaspor on July 28.
Tzolakis emerged as the club’s top goalkeeper target following the arrival of Jack Butland and City look like beating off competition from a host of other Premier League clubs to snap him up, with sources confirming to HullLive that the East Yorkshire were his number one choice after discussions with Jakirovic and owner Acun Ilicali.
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“I think it’s 95 per cent that he will join us, but of course, until he’s signed the contract, he’s not our player, so we will see what happens over the next few days,” the Croatian head coach told Hull Live.
“He’s our first choice. I had a conversation with him, and everything is fine. I explained to him everything, so he’s looking forward to joining us.”
Signing a player who was a regular for Olympiacos last season, both domestically and in Europe, is a significant coup for the Tigers, and Jakirovic says bringing in that standard of player is crucial.
“Of course, he’s a national team player of Greece, and when we are speaking about national team players, there is quality. You cannot be in the national team by accident.”
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