Mike Phelan, Hull City’s caretaker manager, finally seemed to have made a transfer market breakthrough on Monday night with the imminent purchase of Will Keane from Manchester United for £1m.
The forward was due to undergo a medical before a reunion with Phelan, who as Sir Alex Ferguson’s assistant coached Keane at Old Trafford. Keane, a 23-year-old academy graduate, has made three appearances for United’s senior team, two of those coming last season.
After assorted loan stints at Wigan Athletic, Queens Park Rangers, Sheffield Wednesday and, most recently, Preston North End, Keane is believed to be enthusiastic about linking up with Phelan and becoming Hull’s first senior signing of the summer.
Phelan is anxious to prevent Aston Villa from signing his centre-forward Abel Hernández while hoping that negotiations with Derby County relating to the potential £10m transfer of their 24-year-old Republic of Ireland midfielder Jeff Hendrick reach a satisfactory conclusion. That mooted deal was understood to be at a fairly advanced stage on Monday.
Phelan’s enthusiasm for acquiring Hendrick has been increased by Sunderland’s apparent hijacking of Hull City’s £8m move for Tottenham Hotspur’s Ryan Mason. The midfielder is understood to favour a move to Wearside but everything hinges on Sunderland agreeing a fee with Spurs.
David Moyes, the Sunderland manager, will be without Jeremain Lens this season, though, with the winger poised to join Fenerbahce on Tuesday on loan. Lens has failed to established himself at the Stadium of Light following his £8.5m move from Dynamo Kyiv last summer and is poised to be reunited with his former manager Dick Advocaat in Istanbul.
