Our daily blog of transfer rumours from the press as Hull City prepare for life in the Premier League.Danny Graham's move to Hull City is set to be confirmed after the striker returned from Sunderland's pre-season tour of Italy - according to Sky Sports sources.
The £5m-rated frontman is expected to join City on a season-long loan deal and may link up with the Tigers at their training camp in Portugal.Steve Bruce has admitted his interest in signing Graham, who has failed to score in 13 appearances since moving from Swansea to the Stadium of Light.
Bruce told the Mail: "(Graham) is someone where there's been a bit of interest.
"He hasn't had the best of times in the north-east but he's a very, very good player. Whether it's possible, who knows? It's something that we're looking at."
Sky Sports has pictured Graham arriving at the KC Stadium today.The Sun has more on those links with Yannick Sagbo. It says the Evian striker will cost just £750,000 and is keen on a move to England - but City will face competition from Crystal Palace for his services.TalkSport adds another name from the French league - Lyon striker Jimmy Briand. The 27-year-old has won five caps and is in the final year of his contract.
And City are also being linked with Liverpool's former Barcelona youth player Dani Pacheco, according to the Spanish media. Malaga and Celta Vigo are also said to be interested in the young Spanish forward, 22, who has spent six years at Anfield without breaking into the first team, and has missed out on the squad's pre-season tour starting in Indonesia.
City MD Nick Thompson has admitted the Tigers appear to have been priced out of a move for Celtic's Gary Hooper after a failed bid earlier this summer.
He says: "We've reached a position with Celtic, Gary and his agent whereby it was not something we want to pursue.
"It's important to get the right wage levels for the club."
Hooper now looks set to move to QPR or Norwich - with West Ham also showing interest, according to today's Mirror.
Speaking on Radio Humberside, Thompson said City had been approached over Jermaine Jenas but his wage demands were "outside" what they were willing to pay.
The club faces a similar issue over wages for Arsenal's Nicklas Bendtner but Thompson did not rule out a move.
Bruce remains keen on Wilson Palacios but there has been no approach for QPR's Adel Taarabt.
Thompson, meanwhile, has moved to dampen speculation about Hull City being rebranded as Hull City Tigers.
If you haven't seen our exclusive today about South African trialist Daylon Claasen, you can read it here. Midfielder Claasen, 23, was the mystery man who turned out for City against Winterton on Monday evening, when, playing as "James Armstrong", he scored one and set up another. The Tigers are giving him an extended trial.Jack Hobbs' move to Nottingham Forest has been confirmed, to the delight of Reds boss Billy Davies, who describes him here as one of the brightest prospects outside the Premier League.
A City loan move for Adel Taarabt looks unlikely. Harry Redknapp has told Sky Sports: "There's talk about (Taarabt) going to Hull on loan. What's the good in that? If he wants to go, let somebody come and pay money for him."
Elsewhere, Newcastle manager Alan Pardew hopes to tie-up a deal for Aston Villa's Darren Bent by the weekend, says the Daily Mail.Crazy Twitter talk: Remember Kamil Zayatte? Of course you do. The Guinean international made more than 50 appearances for the Tigers between 2009 and 2011. Now, he is apparently on trial with Sheffield Wednesday in Portugal - which means he could face City in a friendly on Saturday! Updates to follow.July 16
Hull City have stepped up their striker search with Sunderland's Danny Graham now at the top of Steve Bruce's wishlist.
As we report this morning, the Tigers are hopeful of agreeing a season-long loan deal for the former Swansea City man.
Today's Chronicle suggests the Black Cats would prefer to strike a permanent deal with City but are willing to let the 27-year-old leave on loan for now.
Gateshead-born Graham - Martin O'Neill's final signing - has struggled to established himself at the Stadium of Light since has £5m move from Wales in January and has failed to score in 13 appearances.
Bruce, meanwhile, fears Arsenal's Nicklas Bendtner may be out of reach because - as we discussed here yesterday - City are unlikely to be able to guarantee his high wages. Still, a move has not been ruled out.
A third name doing the rounds is Evian's Yannick Sagbo. The pacy 25-year-old can play across the front line and would cost around £3.5m, according to the Daily Mail.
Sagbo was born in France but represents Ivory Coast. He boasts a scoring record of around one goal in every four games in the French top flight and has raised interest from West Ham and Tottenham in recent seasons.
Yesterday, we wondered if QPR "bad boy" Adel Taarabt might turn Bruce's head after his falling out with Harry Redknapp. Today, The Sun says the Tigers boss is read to take a gamble on the Moroccan playmaker.
The 24-year-old - disciplined after turning up late for Rangers training - "can supply some magic" for City, according to the Currant Bun, and could be available on a season-long loan deal. However, he is also attracting interest from the United Arab Emirates.Jack Hobbs looks set to leave the KC for Nottingham Forest, but may well sign on a season-long loan deal, according to the Nottingham Post. As our own Phil Buckingham reports this morning, Hobbs will not travel to Portugal with the Tigers, and a deal could be confirmed within the next 24 hours barring late problems.
Elswhere, Sunderland have dropped their interest in Tom Huddlestone after failing to agree a £5m fee with Tottenham, according to the Daily Mail, while QPR have upped their bid for Celtic's Gary Hooper to £5.5m after signing Richard Dunne on a one-year deal. All three players were linked with moves to City.Crazy Twitter talk: Those Jermaine Jenas rumours keep gathering momentum with multiple "sources" continuing to claim City have offered QPR £1.5m for the former England midfielder. The speculation dates back to a Daily Star article at the weekend which suggested the Tigers could turn to Jenas if they failed to land Wilson Palacios.July 15Nicklas Bendtner's transfer to Hull City could be on - because Arsenal are willing to split his wages - according to The Daily Mail.
The Danish striker could cost City £3m upfront but would command a salary of around £50,000 a week.
But the Gunners are so keen to offload him, they are willing to smooth a move by contrubuting £20,000 a week until the end of the season.
So, is Bendtner the answer to Bruce's striking conundrum? At first glance it looks like a tempting offer. However, the 25-year-old has struggled to make a breakthrough a Premier League level - despite his fine scoring record for Denmark - and his wage demands would threaten the carefully balanced budget the Allams have worked so diligently to maintain.
Bendtner has played almost as many games on loan as he has for Arsenal since joining the Gunners in 2005.
It has also been claimed he suffers from over-confidence - although his widely reported statement to the effect of being the world's best player was a misquote. What he actually said was: "For me confidence is so important. It's good to know I can go out on the field and feel I can take on the world."
Mind you an Arsenal psychologist did say that in squad self-confidence tests, Bendtner scored "11 out of 10".
Despite all that, Bruce though clearly likes Bendtner, having had him on loan twice at Birmingham City and Sunderland.
The City boss has said, however, that he has several irons in the fire when it comes to strikers, and according to Sky Sports he is chasing West Bromwich Albion outcast Peter Odemwingie, along with West Ham, Fulham and Sunderland.
That speculation is not new of course: The Nigerian is desperate to leave the Hawthorns - after famously failing to force a move to QPR in January - and West Brom are keen to get rid.
Odemwingie could be available for just £1.5m, but a move for the unhappy striker - who scored five times in 13 starts and 12 substitute appearances last season - would represent a gamble to say the least.
Here's a new name - Bologna striker Robert Acquafresca - linked earlier in the summer with a loan move to Sunderland. Milanese sports writer Tancredi Palmeri, of CNN and Gazetta Dello Sport, says today that City have made contact with the Italian club over a possible move for the 25-year-old, who has failed to make an impact in Serie A.
Meanwhile, Connor Sammon has dismissed rumours linking him with City and has pledged his future to Derby County, according to today's Irish Independent.
The Republic striker has thrived at international level under Giovanni Trappatoni, leading to speculation he could be ready to test himself in the Premier League.
Sammon said: "I haven't heard anything about that (Hull's interest) but I'm happy at Derby. I feel really settled here."
Watford's Troy Deeney - who almost single-handedly denied City a place in the Premier League with his late-season goal-scoring spree - is another option for Bruce, according to the Daily Mail.
Elsewhere, Richard Dunne, heavily linked with a move to the KC, could now be on his way to QPR, with talks confirmed, while Harry Redknapp is also set to up his bid for Gary Hooper to £5.5m - after Celtic rejected a lower offer. However, the former Tigers target prefers a move to Norwich, accoring to The Sun.
One deal that looks to be done: as we report this morning, City look set to agree a one-year deal with former Newcastle goalkeeper Steve Harper.Crazy Twitter talk:Adel Taarabt's QPR future is supposedly in doubt after the Moroccan midfielder turned up late for training. So, would Harry Redknapp sanction a move to City?
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