ILICALI HOLDS MEETING WITH SERI
JEAN Michael Seri met with Hull City owner Acun Ilicali in Istanbul yesterday as the club look to close in on securing the services of the Ivory Coast international.
The Mail can also report a rumoured rival bid for his services from Galatasaray, who he spent a season on loan with in 2019-20, is understood to be inaccurate.
The 30-year-old midfielder has been high on the Tigers’ wanted list ever since it became clear he would be available on a free transfer after departing Championship winners Fulham. He is regarded as an important cog in a revamp of the central areas at the MKM Stadium for 2022-23 with the captures of Ozan Tufun and Adama Traore from Turkish teams Fenerbache and Hatayspor respectively also expected to be ratified imminently.
With City having returned to Cottingham for pre-season training, Ilicali and Shota Averladze will be keen to get new bodies into the building as soon as possible with the campaign also kicking off a week earlier than normal on July 30 due to the World Cup finals starting in November.
It appears if Seri can agree terms with Ilicali then he will be wearing an amber-and-black shirt next term.
That is likely to mean a significant wage cut, but the indications are the Tigers expect to thrash out a deal that will be deemed acceptable.
Featuring 33 times for the Cottagers in 2021-22, Seri will bring knowledge of what is required to become a challenger in the notoriously competitive division.
With 42 caps at international level and 32 appearances for Fulham during the 2018-19 Premier League season under his belt, he is unlikely to be fazed by any test at the Tigers.
In March he lined up against France and England for his country and, in 2019-20, he faced the likes of Real Madrid and Paris Saint-germain in the Champions League for Galatasaray.
His pass completion rate of 89 per cent for Fulham last term would make him a reliable starter of attacks from the base of a new-look City midfield.