Hull City transfer news: Hull City close in on deal for Aston Villa outcast Micah Richards
Tigers boss Mike Phelan hopes to add defender to his threadbare squad on a season-long loan
MIKE PHELAN wants to make Aston Villa‘s Micah Richards his first signing for Premier League side Hull.
Caretaker-boss Phelan needs to bolster a threadbare Tigers squad that is down to just 13 fit senior players — two of which are keepers.
And he has been given the nod by City’s owners to sign Aston Villa outcast Richards on a season-long loan.
City have already held preliminary talks with the former England defender, 28, and hope to conclude a deal in time for him to be in their squad to face Manchester United on Saturday.
Phelan said: “We need to bring bodies in and we have got two or three bids on the go at the moment.
“It’s a case of whether they are available, what price they are and can we do it.
“We’re looking to add players in all areas of the team.”
Richards could be joined by Tottenham midfielder Ryan Mason, with Hull believed to have opened talks over the 25-year-old England international.
The Tigers are also closing in on a deal for former Sunderland striker Asamoah Gyan, 30, who is out of favour at Chinese club Shanghai SIPG.
Brentford frontman Scott Hogan, 24, is a £7million target while Polish inter- national Nemanja Nikolic, Southampton’s Jay Rodriguez and Lorient’s Benjamin Moukandjo are other strikers on Hull’s radar.