Transfer Talk: Hull City and Middlesbrough continue searching to strengthen ahead of big Premier League kick-off

Hal Robson-Kanu could be on his way to Hull (Picture: Mike Egerton/PA).

The Teessiders have been in talks over signing the 30-year-old former Manchester City forward for some time as they look to secure an initial loan deal.

Those discussions will continue in Marbella this week where Middlesbrough will play three games, starting with tonight’s friendly against Real Betis.

Boro will reportedly have a £9m option to make the deal permanent next summer after the striker lowered his £100,000-a-week wage demands to pave the way for a return to the English top flight.

Head coach Aitor Karanka has already boosted his squad for life in the Premier League with six new additions in the shape of Victor Valdes, Viktor Fischer, Bernardo Espinosa, Marten de Roon, Jordan McGhee and Antonio Barragan, and he is keen to add further reinforcements.

The club is edging towards an agreement on Negredo, while they are also close to landing both Borussia Dortmund defender Neven Subotic and Uruguayan midfielder Gaston Ramirez.

Ramirez’s work permit was rubber-stamped over the weekend with the Uruguayan playmaker and former Southampton man able to join up with his new Boro team-mates in time to fly to Marbella for this week’s pre-season training camp.

The Teessiders are also interested in Manchester United wide man Adnan Januzaj.

The 21-year-old spent the first half of last season on loan at Dortmund but new Red Devils boss Jose Mourinho could be prepared to give the wide man a lifeline after he impressed in pre-season training.

Boro are hoping to take the Belgian international to the Riverside with boss Karanka keen to build a side capable of being a force in the country’s top flight.

“We want to build a squad for the Premier League,” insisted Karanka.

“I said after the games at York and Doncaster that the club is working really well. For that reason we can be focused on the pitch, and the better players we have the more chances we have next season.

“For the players who have arrived and the new players arriving we have another week and three games to be together in Marbella.

“We have a lot of new players this season and it’s nice to be together to spend time in the training sessions and at the hotels. It’s completely different because this time last season we didn’t have any players. This season we have five or six new players.”

Preston North End, meanwhile, are stepping up their interest to bring back Boro wide man Adam Reach on loan, but the Deepdale outfit face competition from Sheffield Wednesday and Wolves.

So far this summer, Hull have only made the one signing in the shape of young goalkeeper, Will Mannjion, from AFC Wimbledon, but the Tigers are close to a deal for Wales’ Euro 2016 star Hal Robson-Kanu.

As well as Hull and their Premier Division rivals Everton, Chinese Super League sides Jiangsu Suning and Beijing Guoan are also said to be interested in offering the free agent a £100,000-a-week deal, but the former Reading star looks all set to make the move to East Yorkshire.

Watford, Swansea and Burnley were also interested in the forward who proved a revelation for Wales in France.

The Tigers are also weighing up moves for Arsenal right-back Mathieu Debuchy and their former defender James Chester, who moved to West Brom following relegation last year.

Full-back Moses Odubajo is likely to be out until 2017 after the club confirmed yesterday that he had ruptured a knee ligament and will be out for six months.

Bordeaux centre-back Ludovic Sane is another potential target for the Tigers who could also be interested in signing Crystal Palace’s out-of-favour goalkeeper Alex McCarthy.

Hull boss Steve Bruce reportedly sees the Palace player as the ideal replacement for Allan McGregor who has a back injury and is out until November.

But Hull’s bid to sign Tottenham defender Ryan Mason looks to have hit a stumbling block with the 25-year-old intent on fighting for his place at White Hart Lane.

Hull had been linked with a £10m bid for the midfielder, but Mason is relishing the challenge of competing with the likes of Eric Dier and Mousa Dembele for a spot in the Spurs midfield.

He said: “Two seasons ago me and Nabil (Bentaleb) started almost every game together in midfield. Next season it is not a foregone conclusion that Eric Dier and Mousa (Dembele) will be in there.

“It’s a clean slate in pre-season when I go back and hopefully I can work my way into a place.”

Bruce has been linked with the England job, but Sam Allardyce is now a red-hot 1-3 favourite to be named Roy Hodgson’s successor.