Hull City simply must serve Derby, Blackburn & Preston some early transfer disappointment | OneFootball

Cody Drameh has been the subject of early transfer interest from City's divisional rivals

The off-season leading into 2025/26 is a critical period for Hull City, if the club are to progress up the Championship table after a chaotic 12-month period.

Whilst owner Acun Ilicali's main priority at this moment in time is sourcing an adequate replacement for the recently departed Ruben Selles, transfer speculation regarding both potential incomings and outgoings has already begun, with the summer window initially opening on Sunday for a 10-day period, before re-opening for the remainder of the summer on June 16th.

Of course, it's hard to gauge the extent of the Tigers' transfer activity at this moment in time, but right-back Cody Drameh has been the main subject of early exit talk, with three of Hull's divisional rivals plotting a move for the 23-year-old.

His first season at the MKM wasn't exactly smooth sailing, but that shouldn't warrant a departure just a year into an initial three-year contract.

Cody Drameh's first 12 months at Hull City as exit talk already mooted

Drameh had already established himself as a dependable full-back at second-tier level in three loan spells away from his former club, Leeds United, although the eventual collective success at Cardiff City, Luton Town and Birmingham City would prove to be very mixed.

City's defence has largely been unchanged since their return to the division in 2021, with captain and Drameh's main positional rival, Lewie Coyle, Alfie Jones and Sean McLoughlin all part of the club's League One title-winning campaign four years ago.

In an extremely inconsistent season, the right-back position has split opinion among the fanbase, although Coyle would feature in all but two league encounters, with Drameh making 28 appearances himself amid a knee issue which sidelined him towards the season's end.

Despite limited availability in his first season in East Yorkshire, the former Fulham man offers a strong range of versatility, able to feature in advanced positions due to his pace, dynamism and ball-carrying ability, as well as the other side of defence, with the vast majority of his early-season appearances coming at left-back, which is yet another position a new manager must target new recruits in.

Whilst some still aren't quite sold on Drameh, the aforementioned factors make him, at the very least, an important player to remain in the squad if the Tigers are to progress under new management, and his ability and future potential has been showcased by these early transfer rumours.

The former England youth international was initially linked with a potential move to France, with Toulouse and Reims believed to be monitoring his progress ahead of a summer swoop. With both sides competing in Ligue 1, it would make more financial sense for the City hierarchy to eke out as much profit as possible from a top-flight side, which, in truth, is likely to be more attractive to the player than links which surfaced not too shortly after.

Derby County boss John Eustace was then keen to reunite with the man he initially brought to St Andrew's @ Knighthead Park two seasons ago, with the East Yorkshire side swiftly rejecting a loan bid, as they would only accept a permanent departure at present.

Blackburn Rovers, who are close to agreeing a new deal with Callum Brittain, have since joined this particular transfer saga alongside Lancashire rivals, Preston North End, who saw an initial bid of their own snubbed, with Hull said to value the defender at £1m.

This would represent a tidy profit considering Drameh was acquired on a free transfer last summer under Tim Walter, and whilst Selles only utilised his services 12 times, the club should look to reconsider their current stance, as this deal could come back to haunt the Tigers, especially if he was to move to Pride Park, Ewood Park or Deepdale.