Hull City’s summer search for strikers has taken them from Michael Owen downwards (or upwards, depending on your view of the former boy wonder’s Newcastle career).

 

And it appears as if Fulham goal-machine Bobby Zamora is to be the culmination of that search, as City have permission to talk to the £5m-rated hot-shot this weekend, on his return from Fulham’s pre-season tour of Australia.   Geovanni top-scored for the Tigers last season with just eight goals. And Angolan striker Manucho, who joined Manchester United after impressing in 2008’s African Cup of Nations, failed to make an impact in his loan-spell at the KC Stadium. Even though his late winner at Fulham in March proved instrumental in Hull’s narrow escape from relegation last season.   Since their putative bid for Owen failed, the Tigers have made unsuccessful offers for a number of hitmen, hoping to improve on their tally of 36 goals in their debut top-flight season.

Fraizer Campbell, the Manchester United striker who had a loan spell at Hull in their promotion season, chose to join Steve Bruce’s new Sunderland regime.

Meanwhile efforts to persuade the Black Cats’ Daryl Murphy to make the return journey have foundered on the Irish international’s personal terms.

And early target, West Bromwich Albion’s Marc-Antoine Fortune, has decided to follow his former Baggies manager Tony Mowbray to Glasgow giants Celtic.

Cardiff City duo Ross McCormack and Joe Ledley, valued at £10m the pair, have reportedly attracted the interest of Tigers supremo Phil Brown.

Brown was initially reluctant to confirm this interest, telling the Hull Daily Mail: “They are names who have been bandied about but it is important that we do our business behind the scenes.”

However, Brown was also reported as saying that Hull were interested, “but not at the sum we have been quoted.”

Cardiff chairman Peter Ridsdale has denied all knowledge of talks: “Hull have not contacted me or the club once about anything.”

To compound Brown’s problems, winger Bernard Mendy gave French radio station RMC the age-old line about wanting “to be free to go if there is an opportunity to play for a big club.”