This article is part of Football League World’s ‘The Verdict‘ series, which provides personal opinions from the FLW writers regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Hull City’s Jacob Greaves has turned down a contract extension with the Tigers amid speculation linking him with a move to Middlesbrough.

According to the Northern Echo, the defender is a top transfer priority for Boro this summer.

With only 12 months remaining on his current contract, we ask our FLW writers their verdict on what Hull should do in this situation, and how much is the 21-year old worth… 

Adam Jones

It's a tricky one.

If his contract had run out next year but no option to extend by a further 12 months, then my advice would be to sell.

However, the option does provide a lifeline. At the same time, it could be argued that this will be their best opportunity to cash in on him with two years effectively left on his current contract.

Selling him to a potential promotion rivals Middlesbrough may be seen as nothing short of silly - but the Tigers probably need at least a season or two to transform themselves into real contenders for the Premier League.

Boro aren't exactly short of cash following the sales of Djed Spence and Marcus Tavernier too.

According to the Northern Echo, they tabled a bid of around £5m but with his contract situation and the fact he's only 21 and likely to get much better, the Tigers should be holding out for at least double that.

Josh Cole

Hull must consider offering Greaves an improved deal as the defender has shown that he is capable of delivering the goods on a consistent basis in the Championship.

During the previous campaign, Greaves made 1.8 tackles, 1.6 interceptions and 3.7 clearances per game as he averaged a respectable WhoScored match rating of 6.87 at this level.

 

 

If the Tigers are indeed looking to move forward as a club, they cannot afford to lose the defender to a Championship rival this summer, especially at this stage of the transfer window.

Therefore, unless Middlesbrough or another team opt to submit a huge offer for Greaves, Hull should keep him and then look to resolve his contract situation in the coming months.

Declan Harte

Middlesbrough will be able to afford most reasonable fees for Greaves you would imagine, given the money they have earned through sales this summer.

That could weaken an already weak hand for Hull, who could have to resign themselves to losing the defender this summer.

This will really be the Tigers’ last chance to cash-in on the player, so any transfer agreement could end up reaching a figure worth close to £10 million.

It’s a tricky place for Hull to be, but given the club is likely not yet ready for a promotion push it may be worthwhile taking the money and using that to reinvest back into the first team squad, especially as it would go nicely with the fee earned for Keane Lewis-Potter this summer.