Hull City join Preston and Swansea City in race to sign Nottingham Forest player | OneFootball

The Tigers are keen to explore a summer move for Forest midfielder Lewis O’Brien.

Hull City are keen on making a move for Nottingham Forest midfielder Lewis O’Brien this summer.

The Tigers are putting early preparations in place for the new 2025-26 season, with transfer targets aplenty in their bid to bolster the squad and push towards the upper ends of the Championship table.

The Yorkshire outfit will be hopeful Sergej Jakirović can bring stability and success to the club after being appointed into the hotseat yesterday, with the Bosnian possessing experience as a coach in some of Europe’s most prestigious competitions, including the UEFA Conference and Champions League.

A key area to target for the new boss is in midfield, it seems, with Hull hoping to lure O’Brien to the MKM Stadium after not being able to get a deal over the line in previous seasons.

Hull City to rival a host of Championship clubs for Lewis O’Brien

As per the Hull Daily Mail, Hull City are very keen over a move for Nottingham Forest outcast Lewis O’Brien, after the midfielder impressed in the Championship last term on loan at Swansea City.

Hull bosses are long-term admirers of the 26-year-old, and are hopeful of snatching him away from Forest as the midfielder enters the final year of his deal at the City Ground.

Only featuring 17 times for the Reds, O’Brien has had loan spells in the MLS with DC United and LAFC, before competing in the second tier with the likes of the Swans and Middlesbrough.

It is reported that a host of Championship clubs are rivalling Hull for O’Brien, with the likes of Swansea interested in a permanent move, while Preston North End are also monitoring the situation.

There is hope among the Hull camp that new boss Sergej Jakirovic can convince O’Brien to join his project at the MKM Stadium, but only time will tell which move he’ll end up making.

Hull City should go all out to secure Lewis O’Brien signing

A midfielder with bags of Championship experience, Lewis O’Brien has been on the shortlist of multiple second tier teams over the past few years, and you can see why.

The reputation he built up at Huddersfield Town as a top-class midfielder who could play in different areas of the Terriers engine room saw him catch the attention of Nottingham Forest back in 2022 to realise his Premier League ambitions.

Since then, O’Brien has showcased from his time at Swansea City that he still has the drive and quality to be a regular first-team asset in the second tier, and that he just needs regular gametime to blossom back into the player he was at the John Smith’s Stadium.

O’Brien has the experience and knowhow of what it takes to fight at the top of the Championship and, after a stunning second period of the season, it would be a coup for any team to sign him this summer.

A player like O’Brien would be pivotal to help pull Hull away from any relegation dogfight this season, while his vast Championship experience would serve as a big help to some of the fresher and younger players in the squad who are looking to make their mark.