Arsenal loanee Isaac Hayden targeted by Hull manager Steve Bruce for permanent transfer

Hull manager Steve Bruce has revealed his desire to keep Isaac Hayden at the KC Stadium on a permanent basis. However, he admits that the Championship club have yet to lodge a formal offer for the highly rated Arsenal loanee, despite making it clear that they wish him to stay on Humberside.

Hayden first joined Hull in July 2015, signing a season-long loan that immediately preceded the capture of Gunners teammate Chuba Akpom on a similar deal. A popular member of the squad, the midfielder has made 16 appearances in all competitions this season but frustrations over a lack of regular league starts previously led to speculation that he could be recalled by his parent club before being loaned elsewhere.

Bruce revealed earlier in January that a move to another second-tier outfit had fallen through, further stating that he had an arrangement with Arsenal whereby the player would be permitted to join another team if they were in a position to guarantee him first-team football.

The possibility of Hayden leaving Hull early now seems to have vanished, however. The 20-year-old notched his first goal in senior football during the 6-0 demolition of troubled Charlton Athletic on 16 January and it appears that his impressive performance has helped convinced Bruce to pursue a longer-term agreement.

"I desperately want to hang on to him and when he produces a performance like that I'm desperate to keep hold of him," he was quoted as saying by the Hull Daily Mail.

"I would love to make it permanent because he's another good young player who we think has a big future. We've not made any offer just yet and it all depends on what the boy wants to do. But I've made it pretty clear to him that if I could I would make it permanent."

Hull currently sit second in the Championship following that emphatic humbling of Jose Riga's Charlton. They are two points adrift of leaders Middlesbrough and four clear of third-place Derby, after both promotion rivals suffered defeats over the weekend.