Jean Michael Seri meeting with Hull City owner Acun Ilicali to discuss Tigers move

Jean Michael Seri is meeting with Hull City owner Acun Ilicali in Istanbul today as the club look to close in on securing the services of the Ivory Coast international. Hull Live can also report that a rumoured rival bid for his services from Turkish team Galatasaray, who he spent a season on loan with in 2019/20, is understood to be inaccurate.

The 30-year-old midfielder has been high on the Tigers' wanted list ever since it became clear that he would be available this summer on a free transfer after departing last season's Championship title-winners Fulham. He is regarded as an important cog in a revamp of the central areas of the pitch at the MKM Stadium for 2022/23 with the captures of Ozan Tufun and Adama Traore from Turkish teams Fenerbache and Hatayspor respectively also expected to be ratified imminently.

The likes of Richie Smallwood and Tom Huddlestone, meanwhile, were both released by Tigers chief Shota Arveladze last month. With City having returned to Cottingham for pre-season training yesterday, Ilicali and Averladze will be keen to get new bodies into the building as soon as possible with the Championship campaign also kicking off a week earlier than normal on July 30 due to the World Cup finals being held in November and December.

Seri has been linked with a move to East Yorkshire throughout the close season but it appears now that, if he can agree terms with Ilicali today, then he will be wearing an amber-and-black shirt next term. That is likely to mean a significant wage cut, but the indications are that the Tigers expect to be able to thrash out a deal that will be deemed acceptable for club and player alike.

Featuring 33 times for the Cottagers in 2021/22, Seri will bring immediate knowledge of what