Hull City are being linked with a future deal for Venezuelan prospect Luis Fernando Carrero, with reports indicating a 2026 arrival after a development stint in Slovenia.
The 18-year-old attacker is expected to join NK Maribor from Deportivo Táchira first, before a planned switch to the MKM Stadium next summer, according to reports circulating this week.
🚨🛫 EXCL | Luis Fernando Carrero is on his way to Maribor to finalise his move from Deportivo Tachira: contract signing set for tomorrow.
Plan is for him to stay in 🇸🇮 until June and to join Hull City, a club within the same group, next season.
Exclusive story, confirmed. ✨ https://t.co/WjblCM79Cw pic.twitter.com/Ss0hoUZQKF
— Rudy Galetti (@RudyGaletti) September 3, 2025
Pathway via Maribor
Carrero, a left-footed wide player who can also operate centrally, has drawn interest across Europe since breaking through at Táchira and for Venezuela’s youth sides. The latest indications are that he will spend the season with Maribor in Slovenia’s top flight, giving him senior exposure in mainland Europe ahead of a proposed move to England. The arrangement would offer Hull a clearer view of his adaptation to European football while preserving a pathway to the Championship for 2026.
The Tigers’ longer-range stance tallies with their current transfer position. Following an appeal to the Club Financial Review Panel last month, Hull confirmed that fee-paying transfers are restricted for two windows, with a third window suspended. That decision limits immediate room for manoeuvre on deals involving transfer or loan fees, elevating the importance of free transfers and future-dated agreements. A 2026 framework for Carrero would therefore sit outside the present restriction while fitting the club’s strategy to deepen its pipeline of young attackers.
Hull have monitored Carrero for several months alongside other suitors in England and abroad. Earlier reports linked Premier League and continental clubs with the teenager, while Turkish giants Fenerbahçe were also credited with interest in the spring. The latest update suggests Hull now have a route to bring the player in after a season of development, subject to the intermediate move being finalised and all international clearances in place.
Writer’s View
This is the type of sequencing that can work well under fee restrictions: identify a high-ceiling profile, let him acclimatise in a league known for giving minutes to young attackers, then import once regulatory and financial conditions ease. The risk, of course, is that a strong season in Slovenia invites rival bids or alters the financials. But if Hull have meaningful alignment on the player’s next steps and a clear role mapped out, the upside is considerable.
The key over the next nine months will be for the Tigers to stay in the Championship, because the player is unlikely to covet a move to League One and possible trips to Gillingham and Northampton.
