What is Holding Up Hull City's Bid for Olympiacos' Premier League-Bound Talent?

Olympiacos continue to make key transfers targeted at bolstering their squad. However, one deal that has eluded both clubs so far is the one between Thrylos and English side Hull City for the transfer of goalkeeper Konstantinos Tzolakis. Negotiations have been taking place for the transfer of the player for quite a long time now; however, there have been no fruitful developments so far. 

According to a report by media outlet Sport24.gr, Hull City have already submitted a formal bid for the transfer of the 23-year-old goalkeeper. Still, the parties involved have not reached a definitive decision, and negotiations are underway.

It is to be noted that Tzolakis has himself expressed his wish to join a club playing in a major league, and Hull City will provide him with the opportunity to prove his mettle in the Premier League, a league which the young Greek international, reportedly, wants to play in. Olympiacos sources have even reported,

“Since last summer, Tzolakis has wanted to play in a major league. If he just wanted a better contract, he would have renewed it in a matter of minutes.”

Hull City manager Sergej Jakirovic was also optimistic about the deal. As reported by Roundtable earlier, Jakirovic had said that the deal was almost secured, with Tzolakis likely to join the MKM Stadium “probably Tuesday or Wednesday.” He also said that he had a talk with the player, who was reportedly “really happy” at the prospect of joining the English side, and that the deal was “95%” done.

It is also noteworthy that Konstantinos Tzolakis is a graduate of the Olympiacos academy, which he joined in 2018, having trained earlier at the academy of Platanias. Since joining Olympiacos, the goalkeeper has played 89 league fixtures for the first team and contributed to four league titles, out of which three were won on a trot, two Greek Football Cups, and one Greek Super Cup. In addition, he also won the UEFA Conference League with the club in the 2023-24 edition of the competition. Tzolakis managed to keep a clean sheet in the final against Fiorentina.

Given the situation, it is somewhat surprising that the deal has not been finalized yet, and negotiations are still underway. The deal, which is expected to be around €20 million, will give opportunity to Tzolakis to prove his worth in a top league. It remains to be seen what eventually transpires in the situation.