Hull City owner Acun Ilicali has publicly pushed back against claims that the club is being turned down by transfer targets, calling the stories "false rumours" spread for attention.

In a social media post, Ilicali said he was "disturbed" by the narrative and revealed the club is reading "dozens of false transfer rumours in many places," with Hull City's name being used "to gain attention" (BBC Sport).

The timing is no accident. Hull are preparing for their first Premier League season since 2017 after winning the Championship play-off final in May, ending a nine-year absence from the top flight. A promoted club's summer window — the period when teams buy and sell players — is always scrutinised. For a club owned by a charismatic Turkish media entrepreneur, the noise is louder still.

Ilicali backed up his words with something concrete: a numbered list posted on social media showing Hull's transfer progress, complete with flags and percentage likelihoods for players of various nationalities. It was an unusual move — owners rarely share recruitment pipelines so openly — but it signalled that work is well underway behind the scenes.

The signings already through the door suggest he has a point. Hull have brought in goalkeeper Jack Butland from Rangers, midfielder Oscar Zambrano from Maribor, and defender Matt Targett after his departure from Newcastle United. BBC Radio Humberside sports editor Mike White has also reported that the club have agreed a deal for Japanese free-agent midfielder Hidemasa Morita, while head coach Sergej Jakirovic has said the club is close to completing a move for Olympiakos goalkeeper Konstantinos Tzolakis (BBC Sport).

Ilicali also recently confirmed that Hull have taken out a £55 million bridging loan — a short-term financial arrangement designed to tide the club over — to put themselves in a "strong financial position" and help complete incoming transfers. He added that the club had "been working intensively for two months" on recruitment and believes they will "build a team that we will all be proud of."

For Hull supporters, nine years away from the Premier League is a long wait. The transfer chatter — some of it real, much of it not — is simply the price of being back in the conversation. Ilicali's frustration is understandable, but the signings speak louder than the noise.

The real test arrives when the season kicks off. Until then, the Tigers are doing what every promoted club does: shopping, planning, and trying to shut out the gossip.