Hull City owner Acun Ilicali and new head coach Sergej Jakirovic are set for talks in Turkey over the weekend as they look to step up their transfer dealings.
Hull Live understands Jakirovic jetted into Istanbul on Friday and will spend the weekend with Ilicali with the intention of ramping up the club’s business ahead of the start of pre-season training on Monday.
City have so far signed three players with Reda Laalaoui, Dillon Phillips and Semi Ajayi arriving so far, but the club want more signings completed quickly, in a bid to avoid the struggles of last summer.
The Tigers are in talks with Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa over doing deals for Lewis O’Brien and Louie Barry respectively, while they hope to tie up a deal for striker Oli McBurnie.
Discussions are ongoing with a Premier League club over signing a highly-rated left-back, and they have two other attack-minded players on their agenda, should a move for Barry not be completed.
Villa are open to selling Barry in order to comply with PSR rules and would want a deal done before Monday’s account submission deadline. And City believe they can get a permanent deal done for the player who joined the club in January, but had his season cruelly ended early because of a knee injury.
While the Tigers want O’Brien, they do have other options at what they believe is his level if a deal with Forest and the 26-year-old himself cannot be struck. Reports late in the week suggesting City were keen to pay £5m are wide of the mark. A loan move cannot be ruled out, but a permanent move is being discussed.
Hull Live has spoken with Ilicali about the latest transfer dealings and says he is directly involved in negotiations with potential new recruits. The Tigers’ owner says he wants to add ‘serious’ quality to Jakirovic’s squad in preparation for the opening game at Coventry City on August 9.
Ilicali has also indicated that Jakirovic will be backed financially for the right players they believe capable of making a difference this season, and ensuring there is no repeat of last term’s struggles with a desire to get as much business completed early as possible.
It’s understood the pair will fly into Humberside Airport on Sunday ahead of meeting the media on Monday, with a fan Q&A also scheduled. Ilicali will then watch training at Cottingham on Tuesday before heading off.
City then head out to Turkey for a week-long training camp in Riva on Sunday, July 13, before returning on July 20 for their final three outings before the season gets underway at Coventry City.
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