Middlesbrough have made an official transfer enquiry for Hull City defender Jacob Greaves, but their figures are some way off matching what the Tigers want for his services, according to Tan Kesler.

The 21-year-old, who came through Hull's academy and is the son of former player Mark Greaves, has gone from strength to strength in the black and amber shirt since becoming a first-team regular during the 2020-21 League One season.

Having played in all 46 Championship matches last season, Greaves is a wanted man, and in February he was linked with Premier League outfits Brentford and West Ham United.

 

 

Now, the left-footed centre-back is interesting Hull's divisional rivals, with Chris Wilder in the market for a left-sided defender to help balance his back-line out.

Whilst every player has their price, Hull executive Kesler has revealed that the numbers mentioned by Boro during their enquiry do not match up to what the Tigers would need to see on the table if they were going to cash in on the youngster this summer.

"I just got a phone call from Middlesbrough. Not just meaning two weeks ago. They asked me about his current situation and would we consider selling him," Kesler said.
"We said 'sure, we will listen to any offers'. They came back with some numbers that were not even significant to what our investment (valuation) is. So we said no. "Other than that, I did not receive any official offers for Jacob or Brandon (Fleming).
"Why I am saying this to you is because I want fans to know all this information flying around. The real story is I have not had an official offer for both of them.
"For me, they are both part of the team and I'd like to extend with them.
"It was just a friendly conversation (with Middlesbrough)." The Verdict It would probably infuriate Hull fans if Greaves were to join another Championship club this summer. They have pretty much accepted the fact that Keane Lewis-Potter is heading to the Premier League, but to sell one of their star players to a divisional rival would not make much business sense. Owner Acun Ilicali is an ambitious man and has grand plans to take the Tigers back to the Premier League - Greaves really should be staying to help try and realise them. Boro need a left-footed centre-back who is comfortable on the ball and Greaves ticks those boxes, but they're unlikely to have the funds needed to really tempt Hull into parting ways with the 21-year-old.