Hull City owner Acun Ilicali has posted another cryptic transfer update on social media, revealing ten agreed deals and teasing further summer signings for manager Sergej Jakirovic's squad. The Turkish media magnate took to X at midnight on Wednesday morning to deliver an upgraded version of the club's transfer dealings following promotion to the Premier League.
Ilicali previously raised eyebrows last month by listing 14 prospective transfers, assigning likelihood percentages to each deal and teasing player nationalities. Japanese international Hidemasa Morita has now joined early summer arrivals Jack Butland, Oscar Zambrano and Matt Targett on the list of completed signings.
The latest update confirmed three previously teased deals have fallen through, while eight other moves remain in progress. Green ticks placed next to Greek, Norwegian, Senegalese, Australian, Swedish and Jamaican flags indicated several announcements are set to follow imminently.
Record Goalkeeper Signing and Prospective Targets
At 10am on Wednesday, Hull City officially announced the signing of Olympiacos goalkeeper Konstantinos Tzolakis for a club-record fee, thought to be around £20million plus add-ons. Fans hope the remaining flags represent heavily linked players, including Norwegian midfielder Jens Hjerto Dahl, Senegalese defender Nobel Mendy, Australian star Lucas Herrington, Swedish left-back Elliot Stroud and Jamaica international Leon Bailey.
Ilicali revealed Hull are also actively working on deals for three French players, alongside an Englishman, a Spaniard, a Portuguese player, another Japanese star, and one player each from Turkey and Germany. Following Ilicali's latest transfer update, Hull supporters remain hopeful those players could be announced in the coming days, although there is no guarantee they are the signings referenced in his post.
Response to Rumours and Season Preparation
The Tigers owner has been very active on social media so far this transfer window and hit out at fake reports, including claims that Hull had tabled a bid for Real Madrid striker Carlos Espi. Hitting out at the Spanish club in his response to a fan account, Ilicali joked: "Guys your club is big enough without making fake stories about Hull City. We never made any offer, we wish him the best in Real Madrid."
Ilicali explained his unique decision to share transfer news directly with supporters followed frustration over false speculation earlier this summer. In a message posted to X last month, he wrote: "Dear Hull City family, We are reading dozens of false transfer rumors in many places. We are disturbed by the claims that we have been rejected and by the use of our club's name to gain attention. We have been working intensively for two months. I believe we will build a team that we will all be proud of. To prevent false speculation and to give you more information, I am leaving you with our latest transfer situation, which includes some clues."
The Tigers secured promotion to the Premier League after Oli McBurnie scored a 95th-minute winner in the Championship play-off final against Middlesbrough. A home clash against Manchester United awaits on their return to the Premier League on August 22.
