Coventry City and Sheffield United could end up with big Middlesbrough transfer envy | OneFootball

Coventry City and Sheffield United could be left feeling rather envious should Middlesbrough land the signing of Hull City defender Charlie Hughes.

Sheffield United and Coventry City could be left feeling rather envious of Middlesbrough, should they land the signing of Hull City defender Charlie Hughes this January.

Since Hughes arrived at the MKM Stadium from Wigan Athletic in the summer of 2024 for a reported fee of £3.5m, he's been a stalwart in the Hull backline, catching the eye of plenty of clubs higher up the food chain.

In the summer, both Sheffield United and Coventry were in hot pursuit of the defender's signature, but were unable to get a deal over the line, which the Tigers have made the most of this season, with a surprise play-off push.

What's now unsurprising is that Hughes is now of interest to other clubs once again, with Football League World exclusively revealing that Middlesbrough are lining up a move that could cost in excess of £10m for his services this winter.

Should Kim Hellberg's side pull off this coup, it will leave both the Blades and the Sky Blues feeling rather envious, as they could've been the ones to land him in the summer.

Charlie Hughes drawing suitors once again after an exceptional first half of the season at Hull City

Following Hughes' emergence at Wigan in the 2023/24 campaign, many expected he would go on to achieve big things in his career, and those predictions are looking more and more likely to come true by the day.

After earning a move to Hull in 2024 and enduring a solid first season with the Yorkshire club where he planted his roots, the 22-year-old has become a key player for Sergej Jakirovic's side, who find themselves in a shock play-off race.

Interest in Hughes was rife in the summer, with Sheffield United and Coventry just a couple of the interested parties, the latter seeing three bids, one of which was reportedly worth up to £10m, turned down by the Tigers.

The defender remained at the MKM Stadium past the summer transfer window, and has played a key role in the embargoed side's surprising start to the season. This has inevitably seen interest rise once again from clubs higher up the footballing ladder.

This time, automatic promotion hopefuls Middlesbrough are leading the way in the pursuit of Hughes, FLW exclusively revealed, with a fee in excess of £10m being required to even tempt Hull into allowing him to leave mid-season.

New Boro boss Hellberg has managed to keep up the good work that Rob Edwards started since his arrival, and could pull off a statement signing which would make two of his club's Championship rivals rather jealous.

Middlesbrough could make Sheffield United and Coventry City envious with Charlie Hughes coup

Following a rocky patch of form in late December, Boro managed to get back on track with a 4-0 thumping of Southampton on January 4th, but still have Ipswich Town and Preston North End breathing down their neck for that second place spot.

Hellberg will undoubtedly want to get promotion over the line with the position the Teessiders are currently in, and spending in the winter transfer window will have to go towards improving the squad to fend off their rivals.

Adding Hughes would represent a stunning piece of business for Middlesbrough, and would be a real statement of intent to the rest of the Championship, showing that they're here to secure one of those automatic promotion places, and nothing less will do.

If Boro sign Hughes this winter, not only does it represent a great piece of business for the present, but with how high his ceiling is, they could be looking at a mouthwatering profit in the future, should the defender continue his current trajectory.

This would likely leave both parties who tried to sign him in the summer, Sheffield United and Coventry, feeling rather envious of Middlesbrough, after they were unsuccessful with their pursuits of him just a few months ago.