Hull City have been placed under a transfer embargo that spans three windows, meaning the club cannot pay a fee for a player until the January transfer window of 2027. Hull City were informed by the EFL on Thursday afternoon an embargo would be active as of Friday July 4, 2025.
Hull Live has learnt the reason for the transfer embargo is the failure to pay a £1m loan fee to Aston Villa for the loan of Louie Barry last season. The Tigers were contacted by the EFL on Monday afternoon and were told a temporary embargo had been put in place while the club explained a failure of non payment regarding the loan of Barry.
City’s board and representatives sent an explanation and the necessary paperwork to the EFL as requested, with the club confident they can appeal the decision to at least get the embargo reduced. However, upon receiving the paperwork the EFL have today instructed the Tigers they are under an embargo as of July 4.
It means City can now only sign free agents or transfers that do not involve fees.
According to the EFL’s Embargo Reporting Service Sheffield Wednesday are the only club currently under embargo, with one of the three regulations they have failed to comply with being the non-payment of transfer fees. That page will be updated Friday morning to include the Tigers.
Regulation 52.2.3 reads: “If a Club is in default of payments due to another Club (or club) under a transfer or compensation agreement the Club shall be subject to a registration embargo such that it shall not be permitted to register any Player with that Club without the prior written consent of The League until such time as the agreement is honoured.”
City are hopeful of winning their appeal having paid the first instalment of the Barry loan fee, with sources suggesting the club believe they have an agreement to pay the remainder over an extended period. However, while that may be the case, the Barry payment is understood to in many ways be the final straw, with Hull Live aware of growing concerns from suppliers both locally and nationally regarding the finances of the club and payment for goods.
This comes on the back of the club failing to pay the players on time two months ago, something which the club said was an administrative error.