According to Fabrizio Romano: Ipswich has opened serious discussion with another winger” discussion ongoing..
For Hull City, this summer is going to be very busy, as there will be a lot of changes throughout East Yorkshire’s preseason.
Tim Walter’s first preseason in the English game is quickly approaching, and in the upcoming weeks, the 48-year-old German will have a lot of work to do in order to shape his strongest starting lineup, which will play Bristol City on August 10 at the MKM Stadium.
Even though a number of well-known loanees, such as Liam Delap and Fabio Carvalho, returned to their parent clubs at the end of the previous season following a seventh-place finish, this City team, despite its current thinness, still has a wealth of individual talent that has drawn interest from Premier League and European teams.
One player who fits the description is Jaden Philogene, who joined HU3 in August after leaving Aston Villa and had a successful debut season. The former loanee of Cardiff City and Stoke City has been linked to Tottenham Hotspur and Crystal Palace at different times during the past ten months following spurts of excellent play in Black and Amber.
However, on Tuesday, news broke from Spanish news outfit Revelo, linking the 22-year-old with a potential shock move to Spanish and European giants, FC Barcelona.
The report claims that Philogene has been lined up as a ‘plan B’ as they are unable to afford the €58m price tag for their prime target – Athletic Bilbao winger, Nico Williams.
Meanwhile, the publication go on to reveal that talks between the Catalan outfit and Hull are already underway over the possibility of a loan to buy deal, which aids Barca’s financial position relating to La Liga regulations.
But, any potential permanent deal could prove complicated depending on City’s performance next season, as Aston Villa still hold a £15m buyback clause that only activates if the Tigers end their exile from the Premier League.
This also comes months after chairman Acun Ilicali claimed the club wouldn’t entertain selling one of their prized assets for a fee in the region of £30m.
Ipswich Town join West Ham, Southampton in race for Jaden Philogene
Last week, it was revealed by TEAMtalk that both West Ham United and newly-promoted Southampton had joined the race to acquire Philogene’s services ahead of the new season.
However, it has since been revealed by transfer guru Fabrizio Romano on his ‘Here We Go’ podcast that fellow top-flight newcomers Ipswich Town have also set their sights on the winger, having also been linked with City defender Jacob Greaves.
Shortly after, Romano brought up Villa’s buyback clause, which might eventually result in a return to Villa Park, and then he brought up Kieran McKenna’s interest in the England U21 international.
“Several Premier League clubs, especially West Ham and Ipswich Town, are also showing interest,” he stated. In order to learn the terms of the transaction in this particular instance, these two teams have already gotten in touch with the player.
“Remember that the player, in the future, will have a possibility to return to Aston Villa. Villa have a matching clause into the contract of Philogene, so they have the possibility in the future to bring the player back.
“Let’s see what’s going to happen in terms of negotiations, but for sure, it’s going to be one to watch in the next few weeks,” said him.
As the Italian states, Hull needs to exert every effort to secure the best transfer deal in order to support Walter’s summer makeover, should the wide player decide to leave the MKM Stadium after just one season. It promises to be an intriguing transfer saga that will only get more intense given Barcelona’s interest in the player.
