Hull City have completed the signing of highly-rated Moroccan talent Reda Laalaoui in what is their first post-season transfer of the summer for what the club describe as an undisclosed fee.
Laalaoui will initially be part of City’s first team squad and is expected to travel to Turkey with the hope of impressing newly-appointed head coach Sergej Jakirovic.
It’s expected that the Tigers will pay his club FUS Rabat around £400,000 to bring the youngster to England. There will be a sell-on clause included which is thought to be in the region of 15 per cent with the youngster signing a four-year contract at the MKM Stadium, plus the option of a fifth.
A 20-year-old Moroccan box-to-box midfielder, Laalaoui has impressed at various age groups since bursting onto the scene at Under-14 level and has been monitored by City for the past few months, and now they’ve beaten off competition to secure his signature.
In his 24 outings for the Moroccan Under-20 side, he’s bagged six goals, including one in the 2025 Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations against Kenya in a 3-2 win. That goal came on the way to securing a semi-final place against hosts Egypt, which saw him play 90 minutes in a 1-0 win before his country lost the final 1-0 to South Africa, playing 70 minutes in that.
Impressed with his progress and to protect themselves against interest from Europe last summer, Rabat signed him up to a new, improved deal that runs until 2026 with an agreement that he would move on this summer, and now the Tigers have snapped him up.
Laalaoui made 23 appearances for Rabat in the Botola Pro Inwi this season, scoring four times and collecting three assists. His last outing came in a 2-2 draw with Moghreb Tetouan back in April where he was deployed in the centre of midfield. At times this term, he’s played out wide and as an attacking midfielder, as well as in the centre of the park.
Here at Hull Live, we are dedicated to bringing you the best Hull City coverage and analysis. Make sure you don’t miss out on the latest City news by joining our free WhatsApp group. You can get all the breaking news and best analysis sent straight to your phone by clicking here to subscribe. You can also subscribe to our free newsletter service. Click here to be sent all the day’s biggest stories.