Roberto Martinez believes Darryl Duffy's future will soon be decided after the takeover at Hull – but still fears the striker will be too expensive for Swansea City.
Martinez is confident Duffy's situation will be settled imminently after Paul Duffen succeeded Adam Pearson as Tigers chairman this week. But the Swansea boss remains concerned he will be priced out of a move for the Scot.
Pearson, who slapped an inflated £500,000 price tag on Duffy's head earlier this summer, is staying on at Hull in an advisory role so may yet have an influence.
"It wouldn't surprise me if something happens regarding Darryl Duffy after the change of ownership at Hull," Martinez said. "I know Darryl returns from holiday tomorrow and I don't think it's going to go on much longer. I think something will be resolved.
"But I wouldn't say I'm confident that it will be good news for us. "Three clubs have bid for Darryl – ourselves, Hartlepool and I think Hibernian, although I'm not sure about that.
"I can guarantee that Darryl would pick us out of those three, but whose bid is accepted is down to Hull, not him." Duffy has expressed his desire to come back to Wales after netting five times in five starts during a loan spell at the back end of last season.
Martinez is a big admirer, but Hartlepool are also very keen and are believed to have offered £120,000 for the ex-Rangers youngster.
Given some of Swansea's spending in recent years, fans might expect the Liberty Stadium club to comfortably outbid their North-East rivals. But Martinez warned: "Hartlepool are making a massive effort for one player, whereas we have others.
"We are in a different situation from them, so I don't know exactly where we stand. "We have got to wait and see how the new board at Hull see things and, if I'm honest, I'm not that confident about what their reaction might be.
"I'd be very confident if Darryl could have a say, but it's all a bit too up in the air for my liking."
Martinez believes the £500,000 demanded by Pearson is well over the top. "Bearing in mind the number of games he has played for Hull (nine starts) and the amount they paid for him (£250,000), my opinion is that their price tag is a bit out of reach," the Spaniard said.
"Darryl deserves to be in our squad because of what he did for us at the end of last season, but will that be possible? "It's not in our hands."
This article first appeared on JACKARMY.net.