CHRIS COLEMAN ‘APPROACHED’ BY HULL CITY

Tigers make Coleman ‘leading candidate’ to replace Bruce... ...but FAW chiefs insist they’ve had ‘no contact whatsoever’ from Premier outfit

WALES manager Chris Coleman has been approached by Hull City and is the club’s number one choice to succeed Steve Bruce as manager, according to reports.

Local media in Hull say the ball is now in Coleman’s court after the Premier League side identified him as the man they want.

Bruce dramatically walked out on Hull this month after a break- down in relations with vice-chairman Ehab Allam, despite leading the club to promotion last season.

An FAW spokesman said: “We have had no contact whatsoever from the club regarding the speculation.

“All talks with Chris have been on how we can move forward after Euro 2016.” Hull City are yet to make any official comment, with former Swansea City manager Roberto Martinez also thought to be in the frame.

Coleman recently signed a new deal to lead Wales into World Cup qualifying but has revealed he will step down in 2018, no matter what happens in the next few years.

The 46-year-old’s stock has never been higher after he guided Wales to the semi-finals of Euro 2016 dur- ing a remarkable summer.

While moving to a club surrounded by such uncertainty would appear strange, Coleman would likely receive a huge increase in salary. He is known to want to return to club management when his time with Wales ends.

FAW chief Jonathan Ford recently admitted it would be difficult to keep Coleman if he was approached by a Premier League club, although he was hopeful the former Fulham boss would honour his new deal.

“At the end of the day we do have a contract that’s been signed, but like anything, if somebody desperately says ‘Well I’m not going to do the job’, you’re going to have a tough time keeping him,” Ford said.

“There are procedures and there are policies in place with regards to if that does happen, but let’s hope it doesn’t.”