Hull City transfer latest as Acun Ilicali sends key message to Tigers fans

Hull City owner Acun Ilicali sparked a flurry of media interest on Thursday when he took the unusual step of revealing information about the club's transfer business on social media.

His post on X had been viewed more than eight million times at the time of writing, and he says he felt compelled to write it because of the amount of rumours suggesting players have turned the club down has left him frustrated.

The number of players linked with a move to the MKM Stadium is heading towards three figures, with the vast majority carrying no truth, something which has left the owner frustrated. City have so far signed three players, with Jack Butland, Oscar Zambrano and Matt Targett arriving, but they're closing in on a host of others.

A deal to sign Japan international Hidemasa Morita has also been completed, Hull Live understands, with the midfielder expected to arrive at the club's pre-season training camp in Slovenia in the next couple of days, once he's received a work permit, while they're interested in a loan move for Burnley star Florentino Luis.

JOIN US ON FACEBOOK! Latest Hull City news and analysis on our Hull Live FB page

Ilicali's tweet indicated that the Tigers are in talks with 11 other players, with him posting the flag of the country they're from, along with a percentage of how far along each deal currently is.

It's understood there will likely be additions to that list later in the window, which could pave the way for both Joe Gelhardt and Toby Collyer to return.

Speaking exclusively to Hull Live about why he opted to take the course of action he did, the Tigers owner says he wants to be as open as possible with supporters and rubbish some of the fake rumours swirling around the internet, which have caused worry amongst fans.

"The fans are the most important part of any club, and without them there would be no Hull City, and I would not be here, so it's important that I'm honest with them and tell them what's happening.

"I'm sure they understand that sometimes I cannot name a player because it can be sensitive, and we could miss out on him, but they know how hard we are working to give them a squad that they can be proud of.

"We know how hard the Premier League will be, and how much we need to give our coach the best players we can, and we're trying our best.

The Tigers continue to work on deals for Elliot Stroud, Konstantinos Tzolakis, Kévin Danois, Leon Bailey, Kodai Sano and Mario Pašalić. There are a number of other targets Ilicali is keen to keep under wraps, in a bid to avoid being gazumped by rivals.

"Our fans will see one by one, the type of players we're trying to bring to this club, to give our coach the strongest possible squad for the Premier League," he continued.

"Some of the names are already known, and some of them you will hear about in time. Then everybody will understand how serious we are in this recruitment."

City's recruitment team has undergone something of a reshuffle in recent weeks, with sporting director Jared Dublin leaving and Okan Özkan coming in, though that's yet to be officially confirmed by the club.

Despite that change at a key period in the summer, Ilicali remains confident that he has the correct team in place to deliver the right players before the window closes at the beginning of September.

"I'm very, very confident about our recruitment team," he continued. "We have a very strong group working hard, all day and every day. We've put together a good squad before, and that got us promoted. We had to be patient with some transfers, and we will have to be again, but we got the players we needed, and they helped win promotion, along with our coach.

"I believe in the recruitment team; we've done it before. We have our targets, and I have full confidence in our recruitment team.

"We are working together as always. From the first day we were in the club, we have been working together with them, and I think our fans are satisfied with the players that we signed when we were in the Championship.

"We're gonna make them proud in the Premier League too. I know they trust us, and we will keep working hard to bring in the players that give us the best chance."

Hull Live are the only English media with City during every step of their pre-season tour, and you can follow all our updates in print and online.

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.