Hull City up the ante for Wolves target Harry Maguire

Hull City today upped the ante for Wolves target Harry Maguire by preparing a £2m 'take it or leave it' bid.

The Tigers are understood to be ready to offer £1.5m up front plus £500,000 in various add-ons for the Sheffield United defender.

Hull are now prepared to pay what amounts to an extra £500,000 for Maguire after previously indicating they were willing to splash out around £1.5m.

However, the latest bid is unlikely to be accepted by United, who are concerned that the 21-year-old won't get the game time at the KC Stadium to trigger the extra payments.

And Wolves' position remains unchanged after having at least two bids rejected, the best of which was around £1.5m.

The League One champions are unwilling to enter into an auction for the three-times Blades player of the year, knowing they can't compete with a Premier League budget.

They are also aware that the price has probably been inflated as United don't want to be seen as allowing another star player to depart to Molineux 'on the cheap' after they sold Kevin McDonald for what turned out to be a bargain £250,000 last August.

Wolves are happy to sit tight in the knowledge that Maguire isn't seen as a priority signing for Hull boss Steve Bruce.

Hull are pushing ahead in pursuit of their main targets, Robert Snodgrass and Jake Livermore after missing out on former Wolvees centre-back Joleon Lescott to Albion.

Norwich midfielder Snodgrass will cost £6m-plus, while Tottenham midfielder Livermore, who spent last season on loan at Hull, is rated at £7m rising to £8m.

Another reason for Wolves' relaxed stance is the insurance of Richard Stearman, who recently signed a new two-year contract.

If Hull fail to sign Maguire, it's understood the player is interested in moving to Molineux.

Meanwhile, Derby have bid around £1m for Middlesbrough Lukas Jutkiewicz, who is also on Wolves' radar.

Bolton, where the 25-year-old finished the season, and Blackburn are also understood to be keen on the target man.

But there are doubts as to whether the Trotters, who are heavily in debt, can raise the cash for a permanent deal.

Wolves have started interviews for their vacant Under-21s and Under-18s coaches positions.