Hull City dealt further Liam Delap blow as Premier League club press ahead with swoop | OneFootball

The Tigers may have to look elsewhere following a fresh revelation

Hull City have been dealt another setback in their pursuit of Man City's Liam Delap, with a Premier League club pushing to seal a deal for the England under-21 international.

According to Alan Nixon's Patreon report, Southampton are becoming increasingly keen to land the 21-year-old this summer, and they look set to make a permanent move for the son of renowned long throw specialist Rory Delap.

Delap Jnr is highly thought of at the MKM Stadium following his loan spell last term, where he made a lasting impression despite spending time on the sidelines with injury.

His return of eight goals was a marked improvement on the 2022/23 campaign, which yielded just four strikes from 37 appearances across unsuccessful loans with both Stoke City and Preston North End.

But after two years plying his trade away from Manchester, the 2023/24 Premier League champions are now believed to be looking to sell him on a permanent deal.

Hull City set to be priced out of move for Liam Delap as Southampton continue interest

Interestingly, Nixon's report also makes mention towards City's valuation of Delap.

It's claimed that the Premier League champions are willing to sanction a sale upon receiving a fee of around £10m, which has piqued the interest of newly-promoted Premier League side Southampton, but likely puts Hull out of the running.

The Saints have a strong interest in Delap and with the future of Che Adams still very much uncertain, Russell Martin is looking to address the top end of the pitch before the season starts.

Delap himself will undoubtedly be attracted by the lure of playing top-flight football too, having only made two substitute appearances for Pep Guardiola's side to date.

That, unfortunately, is not what Hull can offer, with the Tigers missing out on potential contention through the play-offs on the final day of the season by falling to defeat at Plymouth Argyle.

Hull City should forget about Liam Delap transfer race amid Southampton interest

Following this latest revelation, it appears as though Hull have very little chance of bringing Delap back to Yorkshire - be it on a temporary or permanent basis.

If Man City know they can collect £10 million - which will help with Profit and Sustainability (PSR) rules due to Delap's full-profit status as an academy graduate - then it's not too logical for them to negotiate yet another loan deal, particularly for a player unlikely to ever make the grade at the Etihad Stadium.

Not that Hull will be able to meet that asking price, anyway - unless they sell Jaden Philogene and Jacob Greaves, and then put all their efforts into landing Delap.

Southampton's Wembley triumph financially benefits them tenfold, with the Championship play-off final widely known as the richest one-off game that the sport has to offer due to the rewards at stake.

It's extremely rare to see clubs in the Championship lodging eight-figure outlays too, barring those on occasion with the luxury of parachute payments - which Hull do not have.

Sure, they could be set for a real cash windfall if coveted stars Greaves and Philogene move out the exit door this summer, but there's also probably better ways to spend £10 million at this level.