Tigers Transfer Talk: Vultures circling around Silva and Maguire

It's back! A weekly (hopefully) review of the stories making the press about Hull City's plays and managers, past and future.

Andy Robertson to Liverpool is a done deal .... right?

Sunday 14th May

According to the Sunday Mirror - Andrew Robertson to Liverpool is a done deal. The left back was said to have agreed a move, despite City's season still being alive and well at press time, which would be announced on July 1st when the transfer window re-opens. Other newspapers have linked Robbo with a move to the Reds for around £8m.

The paper also suggested Harry Maguire is a target for Jurgen Klopp. Maguire has been heavily linked with Spurs stemming from an article in the Evening Standard last month.

Hello ... Goodbye?

Monday 15th May

With Hull City fans waking up to the reality of relegation from the Premier League, Harry Maguire was said to be interesting one of the teams who'll take our place. The Northern Echo say Harry is Rafa Benitez's preferred option to strengthen the centre of his defence where grant Hanley has been deemed surplus to requirements and despite the Geordies having run the rule over Sporting Lisbon’s Ruben Semedo.

Tuesday 16th May

The daily Harry Maguire rumour comes from The Mirror. They suggest that Newcastle want Leicester skipper Wes Morgan and that the Foxes will replace him with Maguire. According to the red-top "Maguire has one year left on his contract, but has turned down an extension and is set to quit (City)".

In a line that popped up in most other news reports, The Mirror say Tottenham are also interested in Harry but Leicester are offering a higher salary and better first-team prospects.

Wednesday 17th May

Don't fall off your chair but this is actually good news for a change - if it's anywhere near true of course. Italian football news site calciomercato.com translate an article from La Gazzetta dello Sport and claim that Andrea Ranocchia, currently on loan at City from Inter Milan,wants to stay in England and isn't opposed to staying with The Tigers despite relegation. They do recognise that his wages and the previously rumoured fee of £8.2m might now be a problem.

This isn't the greatest source. They've run around 3 million stories on Abel Hernandez over the past three years of which none were ever true so I'm always wary of them.

Thursday 18th May

The news that Watford will target Marco Silva to replace Walter Mazzarri, sacked yesterday, made the back pages of some papers including The Express (left). The Telegraph also make Silva the front-runner to be the Hornets ninth manager in five years.

Brummie local paper Express & Star claim Wolves have sounded out Marco Silva to be their next boss. It's well known that Wolves didn't appoint Marco last summer and if his rumoured links with Jorge Mendes are true, with Mendes running things at Wolves - then it does make some sense. From a football point of view it would be a backwards step for Silva.

On a more positive note, although surely only a temporary reprieve, the Liverpool Echo report that Liverpool are unlikely to make a move for Andy Robertson despite the claims of The Sunday Mirror.

Friday 19th May

Apparently "Sky Sport italia" - whoever they are - are suggesting that if Marco Silva takes over at Watford then he'll target Andrea Ranocchia. Definitely an element of guesswork in this one but putting two and two together, it's not an unlikely outcome.

...and Finally

In the wake of Fulham's failure to make the Championship play-off final, ex-Tiger Tom Cairney has been linked with a huge money move to Newcastle or Bournemouth.

The Mirror reckon another former City player, Tom Ince, is also a target of Newcastle and could be allowed to leave Derby for £10m as the Rams look to raise funds for new manager gary Rowett to strengthen his squad.

It's that time of year when clubs post their "retained lists" of playing staff. These names from Tigers' past have been released so far: Michael Turner (Norwich), Hope Akpan (Blackburn), Paul Anderson (Northampton), Scott Wiseman (Scunthorpe), Mark Yeates (Notts Co) and Billy Paynter (Hartlepool). Wiseman and Anderson have already been scooped up by Chesterfield and Mansfield respectively.

Stats website Squawka have put together an XI from the best players, statistically, in the three relegated sides. They've gone with a crazy formation to fit them all in but Tigers Harry Maguire, Sam Clucas, Andy Robertson and Kamil Grosicki feature.