Hull City head coach Sergej Jakirovic has revealed he expects Burnley midfielder Florentino Luis to move elsewhere, admitting he doesn’t expect the Portuguese to join the club.
City had been working on a season-long loan deal for the 26-year-old and were expecting to be able to secure that deal on Saturday, after a clause in his Turf Moor contract to leave the Championship club became active on Saturday.
The Tigers were a long way down the line and believed that deal would get completed, but Jakirovic says he now expects the midfielder to make a move elsewhere with the offer of a permanent contract on the table.
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Jakirovic says City were not in a position to do that, and were only prepared to take the former Benfica man on loan with no option or obligation to buy.
The City boss, who admits he’s desperate for new faces amid a growing injury list, says the club do have other options, and they have now moved to try and secure another target.
“I think that he will not come to us,” Jakirovic told Hull Live in Istanbul after City’s 1-1 draw with Kasimpasa. “I think that he will go to another club, though I don’t know which one.
“His move, I believe, will be a permanent transfer, so we don’t have a chance with that because we want to loan him from Burnley. This is his decision and his family, which I respect.
“We have some options, so we will activate our second option now, so I hope we will finish it.”
Jakirovic has also cast doubt on the potential arrival of Leon Bailey from Aston Villa, with a hold-up in that transfer.
“I don’t know (what the situation is with Bailey). I don’t know anything. “I just know that we are working on that, but it’s already been almost two weeks, so it’s very, very slow.”
The Tigers boss, however, is hopeful of seeing Nobel Mendy when the players are back in England next week, while Konstantinos Tzolakis was at Saturday’s game with Kasimpasa, as he awaits confirmation of his move from Olympiacos.
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