Luton tipped to be closing in on deal to sign loan star from Hull

Luton Town are tipped to complete the signing of Hull City midfielder Kasey Palmer following his superb loan stint in Bedfordshire last term.

The 29-year-old arrived at Kenilworth Road in January, and went on to become a massive favourite with Hatters supporters, as he enjoyed the most prolific spell of his 10-year career, scoring eight goals in 20 League One matches, including netting in three successive games on two occasions, as his influential displays saw Town win the Vertu Trophy at Wembley, but also come within a point of reaching the play-offs, after a run of eight wins from their last 10 games.

Having won the Signing of the Season award at the Luton Town Supporters’ Trust presentation evening, Palmer returned to Hull, the Tigers winning promotion to the Premier League after beating Middlesbrough 1-0 in the final at Wembley. The Jamaican international and Luton boss Jack Wilshere made it clear on more than one occasion they both wanted the deal to be turned into a permanent one this season, and the Hull Daily Mail is now stating that the transfer is close to being concluded.

A report this afternoon said: “Jamaican international playmaker Kasey Palmer is set to seal a permanent exit from Hull City after the Premier League new boys agreed a deal with Luton Town in League One. Palmer endured a frustrating spell at the MKM Stadium following his deadline day arrival two years ago from Coventry City, and ended the season on loan with the Hatters.

“Luton were keen to sign Palmer after that fine spell, with boss Jack Wilshere speaking in glowing terms about the former Chelsea youngster, and they've agreed a permanent deal with the Tigers to see the 29-year-old return to Kenilworth Road."

Although Hull are now in the top echelons of English football, they are being forced to sell players to ensure they don’t fall foul of Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules, which has now been replaced by a new system called squad cost ratio (SCR). The Tigers avoided the threat of a points deduction in the Premier League by selling goalkeeper Ivor Pandur to Rangers for £6m and midfielder Aidon Shehu to Panathinaikos for £2.5m hours before Tuesday's deadline, but are still looking to restructure their squad for the upcoming campaign.

Owner Acun Ilicali admitted as such in a recent interview with the same outlet, adding: “We have overspent, and we have to sell some players before July 1. I don't say that it will be very easy or very hard. Now we are a Premier League team, the values (of players) has raised up which is a good advantage. We have some players that know they will not be able to play with us. Now we will work on that and solve this problem. It's a new task, and we will manage it.”