French Ligue 1 side linked with move for Hull City striker Oscar Estupinan
The latest transfer news and rumours on deadline day
Hull City striker Oscar Estupinan could be on his way to FC Metz to seal a deadline day move to the Ligue 1 outfit, according to reports in France.
Estupinan has found regular football limited in the early weeks of the season and in the Championship, has been restricted to appearances off the bench with head coach Liam Rosenior favouring Manchester City loan man Liam Delap.
City also tried to bring in Keinan Davis from Aston Villa which would have pushed Estupinan further down the pecking order and with the Colombian thought to be unhappy at being a bit-part player, a move to France is in the offing according to L’Équipe, which would see him link up with former MKM Stadium strike partner Benjamin Tetteh.
Tetteh joined the newly promoted club earlier in the summer in a deal worth around £1.5m but has managed just 21 minutes of action before picking up an injury which will keep him sidelined until the middle of the month.
Reports in France say Metz are seeking to take Estupinan on a season-long loan move with a £5m option to buy clause inserted into any potential deal.
Should Estupinan leave before the 11pm deadline, there are no guarantees the Tigers would seek to directly replace the 26-year-old with Rosenior having Delap and Aaron Connolly as his striker options, while Allahyar Sayyadmanesh, Ozan Tufan and Scott Twine can all play further forward, and so too, Jaden Philogene.
Estupinan has been the subject of interest throughout the summer, and in the last week, City have rejected overtures from clubs in La Liga including Espanyol, who attempted to strike loan deals for the popular Colombian.
In his inaugural campaign in Engish football last term after arriving on a free transfer from Portuguese side Vitoria, Estupinan bagged 13 goals to finish as City’s leading scorer, goals which proved crucial in their quest to initially avoid relegation before moving into mid-table safety following Rosenior’s arrival.
