Hull City have made a reluctant agreement with Southampton for the sale of striker Shane Long, with a deal worth £12m set to be completed by the end of this week.
Saints’ new manager Ronald Koeman is believed to be looking for a proven Premier League striker to work alongside new signing Graziano Pelle on the front-line and fill the void left by Rickie Lambert who moved to Liverpool earlier this summer.
The Dutchman he was recommended to take a close look at Republic of Ireland international Long by club scouts, who believed he could be the perfect fit.
According to reports, Hull are not keen to sell the £6m-rated former West Bromwich Albion player, who only signed to the KC Stadium in January.
The 27-year-old has had very little time to unleash his true potential for the Tigers during the short while he has played in Humberside, but has displayed some promising ability.
During his four month settling-in period, the forward scored four goals in his 15 appearances for the club, including one against Arsenal in the League Cup and one against Chelsea in the Premier League.
Long’s agreement comes just days after his feature in both of the Tigers’ Europa League qualification matches last week, and the club are understood to have have accepted the Saints’ flash proposal in order to make a quick profit.
According to reports, Hull manager Steve Bruce is also interested in Liverpool’s Fabio Borini, who is still amidst negotiations of a £14 million move to Sunderland.
Connor Wickham, Diafra Sakho and Nicklas Bendtner could also be a cheaper alternatives for Hull City, who begin their second season in the Premier League away to Queens Park Rangers on Saturday.
Southampton have also had a £450,000 bid accepted for Leeds United striker Billy Sharp.