Hull City reject Middlesbrough offer for defender Jacob Greaves

The Hull-born centre-half, son of former Tigers player Mark, has impressed many onlookers with his progress over the past two seasons, with the 21-year-old enjoying an outstanding first full season at second-tier level last term.

His form has not gone unnoticed at rival clubs in the Championship and in the Premier League, while England Under-21 boss Lee Carsley also confirmed in the spring that he was also being monitored in regards to future international recognition.

The City hierarchy revealed earlier this summer that they were speaking with Greaves and fellow academy product Brandon Fleming regarding the prospect of him signing a long-term contract.

Greaves’s current deal runs until next summer, although the club have the option to extend it by a further 12 months.

Speaking to BBC, Kesler said: “Jacob played all our games and kind of wants to see himself at a certain level – him and his dad.

“We see him on a progressive level. To prove my point, I just got a phone call from Middlesbrough.

“Not just meaning two weeks ago. They asked me about his current situation and would we consider selling him.

“We said ‘sure, we will listen to any offers’. They came back with some numbers that were not even significant to what our investment (valuation) is. So we said no. Other than that, I did not receive any official offers for Jacob or Brandon (Fleming).”

Meanwhile, City have completed the signing of Turkish international midfielder Ozan Tufan from Fenerbahce on an initial three-year deal.

Tufan, 27, capped 65 times by his country, will reportedly cost a fee in the region of £4m and has become the club’s second official addition of the summer following on from the capture of experienced defender Tobias Figueiredo.