Hull City latest: Jaden Philogene update, Ryan Longman news, Acun Ilicali transfer admission | OneFootball

FLW rounds up the latest news regarding Tim Walter's men

Hull City's pre-season preparation is officially underway.

Tim Walter's first day at the club's Millhouse Woods Lane training base comes amid a barrage of transfer rumours surrounding the club, particularly when it comes to potential outgoings.

There's just five-and-a-half weeks until the 48-year-old German takes charge of his maiden outing against Bristol City on August 10th at the MKM Stadium, and plenty is expected to change between now and then.

With that in mind, Football League World rounds up the latest goings-on which concern the Tigers.

Spanish giants show "concrete interest" in Hull City ace

One man within the City ranks who's been the subject of multiple stories comes in the form of winger, Jaden Philogene.

The England youth international has seen interest come his way from Premier League clubs at length in recent months, before a shock link with Spanish and European giants Barcelona emerged last week.

Initially, Spanish news outlet Relevo broke the news that the former Aston Villa winger, who cost the Tigers a reported £5m last summer, was being drawn up as a plan B by Hansi Flick's new chargers, after they couldn't afford the €58m required for Athletic Bilbao's Nico Williams, with the former Cardiff loanee being eyed up on a loan-to-buy basis.

And after Everton were the latest English side to be plotting a move with a reported initial £16m bid, Sky Sports journalist Florian Plettenberg provided further information regarding Philogene's potential move to Catalonia.

Plettenberg stated that Barça's interest is "very concrete" and that an official offer has been made to the Tigers, which is still a loan deal with an obligation to buy, in the region of €20-23m depending on whether specific conditions are met.

Birmingham, Wrexham join Millwall in Ryan Longman race

Another winger linked with a departure from the MKM is Ryan Longman.

Longman spent the entirety of last season on loan with fellow Championship outfit Millwall, registering three goals and two assists under three different managers.

However, the 23-year-old and the Lions' best form of the season ultimately came under Neil Harris, who has made no secret about his intentions to secure his services permanently.

But the second tier outfit now face stern competition from the League One duo of Birmingham City and Wrexham, as well as sides in the Championship, according to the Mirror. The aforementioned report gave away no identities in terms of clubs, but Darren Witcoop of the same publication has since declared Derby County's interest in the winger.

It now remains to be seen where the former Brighton and Hove Albion man moves to next after Hull's intentions remained clear regarding a potential exit, especially with the Second City outfit looking to assemble a "Championship-ready squad in League One,"according to CEO Garry Cook.

Acun Ilicali makes Hull City transfer admission

One man always under the spotlight in HU3 is City owner Acun Ilicali.

Prior to the beginning of pre-season, the Turkish businessman placed his concerns on record about only being allowed to invest £14-15m of his own cash into the club's costs over the season amid interest in Philogene and Jacob Greaves.

Since then, the first signing of the Walter era has been confirmed, with Ryan Giles making his loan switch from Luton Town permanent despite a change in manager at the MKM.

Ilicali has therefore provided some clarity to supporters regarding the inner-workings of the club's transfer policy process, having seen one part of his so-called 'Brain Team' depart for Stoke City, in the form of head of recruitment Lee Darnborough.

"Our football brain team decides about the players, then they bring it to me because, in the financial part, I'm the decision maker," the 55-year-old declared.

"So I decide to go aggressive, very aggressive or not aggressive, and after that. The last one to decide about making the transfers is our coach. Our system is finding the player, after that, our coach will say, OK, this boy is good for me and then it is time to finish the deal and we just decide, I decide, how hard should I go or not? This is the case, so I want our fans to know that our system always will be players coming with the approval of our coach."

At present, rumours in terms of incomings have been few and far between, although Crystal Palace winger Jesurun Rak-Sakyi has been linked with a move to the club alongside a plethora of other Championship sides.

Former Hull City ace announces retirementAside from the current crop of Tigers players, a former fans' favourite in East Yorkshire announced their retirement on Monday evening, in the form of Tom Huddlestone.

The former Tottenham Hotspur and England midfielder moved to HU3 following the club's promotion back to the Premier League in 2013 for a reported £5.25m, and was an integral part of the Steve Bruce era at the club, which saw an FA Cup Final, UEFA Europa League football, a play-off final success over Sheffield Wednesday and the club's best ever run in the EFL Cup in 2017, reaching the semi-finals.

After spending three years during a second spell at Derby County, Huddlestone spent a year without a club before returning to the Tigers after the club's League One-winning season in 2021 as they returned to the second tier under Grant McCann.

Game time was sparse for the cultured and experienced midfielder, making just 11 appearances and four starts, but he still remained increasingly popular with the fans despite being released by McCann's successor Shota Arveladze in May 2022.

173 of the 37-year-old's professional appearances came with Hull, where he netted seven times, including famous strikes against Fulham in December 2013, which led to over £36,000 being raised for charity after he decided to cut his hair once a two-year goal drought was over, as well as an exquisite finish against Sheffield United in the 5-3 FA Cup semi-final victory in April 2014.