Hull City’s pursuit of Gabriel Mec appeared to be reaching the finish line earlier this week. However, fresh information from Brazil – and details obtained by Sport Witness – suggest the situation is far less advanced than initially reported.
Recent reports had indicated the newly-promoted Premier League club were close to signing the 18-year-old Grêmio talent. A transfer worth around €20m (£17.2m) was said to be progressing quickly.
Conflicting reports emerge
Those claims were driven largely by Brazilian journalist Fábio Vargas. He reported the deal was at an advanced stage. Also, he stated that Mec was unlikely to play for Grêmio again.
According to his information, the midfielder was expected to move to England on a five-year contract in a package worth €17m (£14.6m) plus a further €3m (£2.6m) in bonuses.
A fresh update from local outlet Zero Hora, however, paints a rather different picture.
The outlet reports Hull did make an official offer, but it totalled just €11.5m (£9.9m) guaranteed, with bonuses capable of taking the package to €15m (£12.9m).
Grêmio immediately rejected those terms. They made it clear they would only entertain negotiations for a figure much closer to €20m (£17.2m).
Zero Hora add Hull have not abandoned their interest. So the English club could yet return with an improved proposal.
Checking the claims
In an attempt to clarify the situation, Sport Witness has spoken to sources inside the club. We confirmed Grêmio chief executive officer Alex Leitão is personally handling any discussions involving Mec’s future. This underlines the importance of the potential transfer.
However, we have also been told there has been no internal indication at Grêmio that Hull are particularly close to completing a deal.
In fact, the only concrete approaches acknowledged inside the club remain those from Shakhtar Donetsk. First last year, when Mec himself rejected a move to Ukraine. More recently, the player’s stance remains unchanged.
That leaves Hull’s interest very much alive, but the overall picture considerably less clear than it appeared just a few days ago.
Negotiations may still develop, particularly if the Premier League club improve their offer, yet the transfer no longer looks as close to completion as earlier reports suggested.
