Former Dinamo coach Sergej Jakirović wants to bring Slovenian striker Žan Vipotnik, last season's Championship top scorer, to Hull City. The Welsh club has already rejected an initial offer of €11.7 million.
Sergej Jakirović, the former Dinamo coach who has just secured Hull City's return to the Premier League, has set his sights on a player who was once a top target for Croatian clubs. According to Sky Sports reporters Anthony Joseph and Zinny Boswell, Swansea City has set a price tag of around €23.4 million for their striker Žan Vipotnik.
Hull City has already submitted a concrete offer for the 24-year-old Slovenian, but Swansea deemed the sum of approximately €11.7 million insufficient. It remains unclear whether the English club will come back with an improved bid, but it's evident that Jakirović sees Vipotnik as a key addition to his attack for the top tier of English football.
In his first season at the helm of Hull, Jakirović achieved remarkable success. The club finished sixth in the Championship and then secured promotion back to the Premier League through the playoffs after nine years. In the final at Wembley, Middlesbrough was defeated 1-0 with a goal in stoppage time.
Vipotnik finished last season as the top scorer in England's second tier with 23 goals. Across all competitions, he netted a total of 25 goals and added three assists. His performances did not go unnoticed, and Swansea signed him to a new long-term contract in March of this year, giving the club an exceptionally strong negotiating position.
Vipotnik is a well-known name to Croatian football fans. Back in 2023, while he was shining at Maribor, Dinamo seriously wanted him and held lengthy negotiations over a transfer. Ultimately, the Slovenian international ended up at Bordeaux in France.
A new opportunity for Croatian clubs arose a year later, following Bordeaux's financial collapse. Vipotnik became a free agent, and interest was shown not only by Dinamo but also by Hajduk and Rijeka. His agent, Sašo Župan, confirmed at the time that the Split and Rijeka clubs had reached out. The Slovenian, however, chose Swansea, which brought him in without a transfer fee. Two years later, his market value exceeds €23 million.
While Jakirović fights for Vipotnik's signature, his former club Dinamo Zagreb is preparing for one of the most important matches of the season. On Tuesday, August 18, at 9 PM at Maksimir, they will host Norwegian side Viking FK in the UEFA Champions League playoff. "Let's go for the Champions League together!" the club said alongside a photo of Luka Stanzl.
Tickets for this clash are already on sale. Club members could purchase them at discounted prices from Wednesday at 11 AM until Thursday at 11:59 PM. General sale begins on Friday, August 14, at 11 AM and runs until matchday. Prices range from €12 for members in the North lower tier to €28 for other fans in the West lower tier. The club asks all visitors to use the "Show QR Code" feature available in the "My Tickets" section for faster passage through checkpoints.
