Hull City owner Acun Ilıcalı has revealed he still harbours a dream of signing Fenerbahçe’s Miha Zajc after targeting him when he first bought the club.
The Hull owner has been speaking to Sport Klub, relayed by Yeniakit, as he plans to purchase Slovenian club Maribor.
The Turkish businessman bought the Tigers from the Allam family in 2022 as he sought to move back into football after a previous and short spell with Fortuna Sittard.
Last year he added Shelbourne FC to his group and is now eyeing Maribor, who he believes are an ideal fit for the network that he is growing.
His influence at Hull has been felt from day one, with the club taking on a very Turkish theme under his leadership, particularly in the playing squad, where several Turkish players have been signed over the last two years.
For example, Allahyar Sayyadmanesh, Doğukan Sinik, Ozan Tufan all arrived in the 2022/23 season while Abdülkadir Ömür joined last summer also.
It seems, though, Ilicali’s first target was from Slovenia, the home of his latest club, and he still hasn’t given up on getting him either.
“When I took over Hull City, my first target was Zajc, but unfortunately he decided to stay in Fenerbahçe,” he said.
“I’m a little lucky because I’m also a Fenerbahçe fan. We’ll see what happens in the future.
“When we take the step of realising our project in Slovenia with Slovenian players, he may want to come to Maribor. We are always interested in him in Hull.”
