Hull City's move for Everton midfielder Tim Iroegbunam appears to be off. The 23-year-old has been the subject of interest from the Premier League new boys for most of the summer, with their manager Sergej Jakirovic going public on his interest last week.
A deal that had looked likely is now close to collapsing, however, with Hull's reasoning being the extent of the knock Iroegbunam picked up at Stuttgart last weekend.
Tigers pull out over injury fears
The Tigers have indicated their move for the former Aston Villa player is off due to the belief he suffered a long-term injury when he was withdrawn inside the first 20 minutes in Germany.
The extent of the injury is disputed by sources close to Iroegbunam, who believe he will be available within weeks. While there have been discussions over potential workarounds, there is currently an acceptance that the Hull deal - which had progressed this week - now appears to be off.
Blow for all parties
The development is a blow for all parties. Iroegbunam enjoyed a positive campaign, capped by his man-of-the-match display in the 3-3 draw with Manchester City, and had established himself as David Moyes' go-to replacement amid the loss of Idrissa Gueye at the end of last season.
He did look set for a challenge to maintain that standing, however, with Everton signing central midfielders Hayden Hackney and Christian Norgaard.
Jakirovic's interest
The transfer to Hull looked set to allow him to continue his progress by making him central to a Premier League midfield, while bringing in a useful fee, in excess of £15m, for the Blues.
Jakirovic had set out his interest in Iroegbunam in a recent interview with BBC Humberside Sport. He said: “I think there is progress in this player. I like him and how he’s playing.
“He’s played at this level and we need this type of profile for a midfielder and I hope we will sign him. But we will see - a loan or a permanent transfer. There is a lot of exchanging. First they want more more than we send. Tim is in the last year of his contract, so that’s an advantage for us.
He’s a great size, very dynamic player, powerful, pace, strong in the challenges and duels. We don’t have this profile.”
Everton play their final pre-season friendly of the summer tomorrow (Saturday) when they welcome Lille to Hill Dickinson Stadium (3pm kick-off).
