Hull City eyeing up transfer swoop for 37-cap international defender | OneFootball

Hull City are interested in signing former Nottingham Forest centre-back Scott McKenna on a free transfer.

Hull City are interested in signing Scott McKenna on a free transfer, after the centre-back left Nottingham Forest following his contract expiring this summer.

The 27-year-old made over 100 appearances for the Reds, which included starring as they won promotion back to the Premier League in 2022.

However, McKenna fell down the pecking order in the past 18 months, so he spent the second half of the previous campaign with FC Copenhagen.

With his deal up, a summer exit was inevitable, but McKenna is yet to find a new club, and the Telegraph has revealed that Hull are targeting the left-footer.

Hull City want to sign Scott McKenna

The Tigers are on the lookout for defensive reinforcements after the sale of Jacob Greaves to Ipswich Town, and McKenna would be seen as a natural replacement due to the fact he would play on the same side in the back four.

The update states that he is a target for Tim Walter, with the ex-Aberdeen man said to have rejected an approach from Cardiff City as he weighs up his next move.

McKenna, who has won 37 caps for Scotland, the latest of which came at Euro 2024, has previously said he would be open to returning to his home country amid loose links to Glasgow duo Celtic and Rangers.

Scott McKenna would be a shrewd signing for Hull City

Even without Greaves’ exit, Hull would surely be in the market for a new centre-back, but losing their star man has increased the need for a quality replacement - and preferably a left-sided one.

So, McKenna fits the bill, and to bring him in on a free transfer would be an excellent bit of business for Hull.

Anyone who saw him play for Forest in the Championship will know that he is a very good player at this level, as he can cope with the physicality of the league, he has decent recovery pace, and he is useful on the ball.

Given his age, Hull would also be getting a player who is at his peak, and he would be able to slot in straight away to help Tim Walter and his team.

Scott McKenna could thrive at Hull City

From the perspective of the player, this should also be an appealing move as he looks to sort his future out ahead of the new season.

McKenna’s move to Copenhagen in January demonstrates that he values game time, and he should be in the first XI with the Tigers if he did make the move.

They are also a club that should be able to fulfil his ambitions. Having had a taste of the Premier League with Forest, you can be sure that he wants to return to that level, but he realistically knows he won’t have many options in the top-flight right now.

So, the prospect of moving to a Hull side that have ambitions to win promotion, means this could be a good fit for all parties.

Hull City set for busy final month of transfer window

It’s going to be a hectic final period of the transfer window for Hull, with owner Acun Ilicali making it clear that he expects many new faces through the door.

A deal for Brandon Thomas-Asante is close, and Walter will be identifying areas that he needs to improve ahead of the deadline.

So, it will be interesting to see how it plays out, with Hull’s first game coming at home to Bristol City on August 10.