Hull City must push for Jay Stansfield after Southampton, Man City transfer claim: View | OneFootball

The Tigers have an alternative as one of last season's loanees is linked with a Premier League move

One player who certainly caught the eye for Hull City during the 2023/24 campaign, was Liam Delap.

Last summer, the striker had joined the Tigers on a season-long loan deal from Premier League champions Manchester City.

That came after he had endured two somewhat underwhelming spells on loan with other clubs in the Championship, in the form of Stoke City and Preston North End.

During his time with those two clubs, Delap scored just four goals in 38 appearances across all competitions.

However, the 21-year-old did produce an improved return for Hull City, with eight goals and two assists in a total of 32 outings for the club.

Despite that, it now looks as though the Tigers face an uphill battle, if they want to bring the attacker back to the MKM Stadium for next season.

Southampton enter Liam Delap transfer chase

According to a recent report by journalist Alan Nixon, newly promoted Premier League side Southampton are now keen to sign Delap this summer.

It is suggested that Hull are keen to re-sign the forward on loan for this season, but also that Manchester City are willing to sell for a fee of £10million.

Southampton's interest could therefore be a problem for the Tigers. The windfall they will receive from their promotion means they should be able to afford this deal from a financial standpoint.

Meanwhile, having now had several spells in the Championship, Delap may relish the chance to finally show what he can do in the Premier League with a move to Southampton.

As a result, it could be argued that amid this emerging interest in the Manchester City man, Hull must be ready to move for another Premier League striker that they have already been linked with this summer.

Fulham man a Liam Delap alternative for Hull City

If Southampton are to sign Delap, then it is likely that Hull themselves will have to find another striker to lead their line, and they may have already identified a strong option for that role.

Last month, it was reported that the Tigers are interested in signing Fulham striker Jay Stansfield this summer, despite suggestions that Marco Silva may be keen to keep him at Craven Cottage for the time being.

Even so, with a move for Delap now looking trickier to do, the Tigers should surely now be pushing to try and make this move happen.

Stansfield enjoyed an impressive campaign in the Championship on loan at Birmingham City last season.

Despite the Blues' relegation, he still scored 13 goals and provided three assists in 47 appearances in all competitions and was one of the few players to emerge from that campaign with any credit.

As a result, playing in a Hull side that will be aiming further up the table - having finished just three points adrift of the play-offs last season - could being even more out of the 21-year-old.

Just as Delap is capable of, Stansfield also found himself playing out wide at times for Birmingham, so he could do a similar job for the Tigers to what the Manchester City man did.

With three years remaining on his contract at Fulham, the Cottagers are not at risk of losing him cheaply or on a free further down the line, by loaning him out this summer either.

Meanwhile, with Raul Jimenez, Rodrigo Muniz and Carlos Vinicius all currently on the books at Craven Cottage, it appears that Silva's side would not be short on options at centre forward for next season as things stand, even if they were to let Stansfield go for the coming campaign.

Indeed, with that competition for places, the 21-year-old may struggle for regular football if he stays where he is next season, meaning he could benefit more from a loan stint at a club somewhere such as Hull, where he can get more experience and chance to develop with more game time.