Hull City transfer chief delivers Liam Delap verdict as Man City talks ongoing
The Tigers know they need to boost their attacking options this summer
Hull City vice-chairman Tan Kesler says the club are in discussions with Premier League winners Manchester City over a move for Liam Delap.
The 21-year-old striker was a talismanic performer for City this season having arrived from the Etihad at the start of pre-season training last summer, scoring eight goals in 31 Championship games.
His untimely knee injury picked up early in the New Year saw him miss 15 games at a crucial stage of the campaign, only returning with five games of the campaign left and City chasing a place in the play-offs which they ultimately fell short of.
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Delap proved a real hit on the terraces with fans urging him to stay and owner Acun Ilicali to try and keep him at the MKM Stadium, but Kesler says that decision will ultimately be down to the player and what he wants next for his promising career, coupled with the incoming new Tigers boss.
“Yes and no. The chairman wants him so badly,” the City vice-chairman told Hull Live when asked if bringing the powerful frontman back was realistic. “If we didn’t have Financial Fair Play (FFP) and EFL regulations he (Ilicali) would have literally invested in him and tried to buy him. You know how he is, he’s (Ilicali) very passionate for football, very passionate for improvement and we like him (Delap) so much.
At the end of the day, he belongs to Man City and also he probably has his own agenda. We’ve been talking to his agent. I don’t see why not (sign him), but it has to make (financial) sense.
“We have to be able to spend money but also generate money for him. A loan back to us could be an option if Man City doesn’t sell him.”
