Oli McBurnie’s stance on joining Hull City now revealed as shock twist emerges in transfer saga

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Oli McBurnie is still assessing his options after leaving Spanish side Las Palmas, and Hull City have been mooted as a possible destination for the striker.

Hull have encountered financial troubles during the summer transfer window and were hit with an embargo after Acun Ilicali failed to pay Aston Villa the £1 million loan fee for Louie Barry.

Since the EFL placed restrictions on City at the start of July, the Tigers have been unable to sign any players for a transfer fee, instead relying on the free agent market.

Sergej Jakirovic remains ‘optimistic’ in his pursuit of new players, despite seeing their list of targets get decimated after breaking the rules.

And with the 2025/26 season now less than three weeks away, there is renewed hope that Hull can land striker Oli McBurnie.

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Oli McBurnie ‘remains keen’ on joining Hull City

Former Sheffield United striker McBurnie emerged as an option for Jakirovic after he departed Spanish side Las Palmas.

Hull were confident of landing McBurnie until they were hit with the EFL’s restrictions, seeing them move onto other targets such as Westerloo striker Matija Frigan.

However, despite the EFL rejecting Hull’s attempt to sign McBurnie due to his huge wage demands, there is still a possibility that a deal could happen.

According to Hull Live, the 29-year-old ‘remains keen’ on moving to the MKM Stadium to link up with the likes of John Egan and Matt Crooks – players he knows well – while he’s also been ‘impressed’ by Jakirovic.

It is stated that a deal ‘cannot be ruled out’, although pursuing the Scottish striker would all but end their pursuit of Frigan, as City would be unlikely to sign both players this summer.

In any case, the East Yorkshire outfit are desperate for a new striker after finishing as the league’s lowest scorers in 2024/25 and watching Joao Pedro exit the club earlier this summer.

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McBurnie would cause further damage to Hull’s wage bill

McBurnie is a proven goalscorer at Championship level, having previously plundered 22 goals for Swansea City during the 2018/19 campaign, which earned him a £20 million move to Sheffield United.

Capturing the centre-forward would give City an edge over their divisional rivals and finally someone at the top end of the pitch who is capable of finding the net regularly.

The problem isn’t persuading McBurnie to join the club, clearly, but more so convincing the EFL that they can afford his wages. According to Capology, the former Swansea striker earned around £33,000-a-week at Las Palmas last season.

And considering Hull’s wage bill has risen by 218% since Ilicali completed his takeover in January 2022, that rapid increase is one of the reasons why the Tigers are in trouble financially.

In conclusion, City desperately need to sign a striker if they are to stay in the Championship – it’s just whether they can find a loophole in their quest to capture McBurnie.