New group in Hull to sound out Tigers over sale

Chien Lee, part-owner of French club Nice, led the Chinese delegation as they visited the KCOM Stadium and then joined Ehan Allam, the Tigers’ vice chairman, at the club’s Under-23s game against Cardiff City.

Paul Duffen, understood to have been assisting in the talks, was also present as the group looks to take advantage of another Chinese consortium’s own bid having stalled.

Brother and sister Dai Yongge and Dai Xiu Lim had reached agreement over a buyout last month, but a hold-up in the Premier League’s fit and proper persons process saw their exclusivity period end.

That opened the door to other bidders and Lee’s group stepped in. The talks are expected to continue for the next few days.

Lee, based in the USA and co-founder of the hotel chain 7 Days, was the principal investor along with Alex Zheng, president of hotel-owner Plateno Group, in the deal that saw Nice bought in June.

Duffen’s involvement adds an intriguing element to any potential deal. He was Hull’s chairman for three years from 2007, a period that saw Hull win promotion to the top flight for the first time in the club’s history, but then suffer serious financial problems that were only sorted out when the Allam family took over.

Meanwhile, Mike Phelan has revealed Markus Henriksen had been on Hull’s radar for more than a year ahead of his deadline day arrival.

The 24-year-old attacking midfielder joined on loan just minutes before the window closed with a view to the deal becoming permanent in January.

“I came across Henriksen probably 12 or 15 months ago,” said Hull’s caretaker chief. “I saw certain things about him which I thought could be an asset to this club.

“It is important, as a midfield player, that you can do all the roles in midfield. I might be old fashioned in that, but I think as a midfield player you have got to be box-to-box and you have got to do all the things well.

“I have done my homework on Markus as a person and a character and he’s ready and equipped to be in the Premier League. Hopefully he can take the opportunities that we give him. He has got good quality in his passing range, he is a good size, he is athletic and he scores a few goals.”