The father of Hull City winger Mohamed Belloumi has claimed his son deserves to be playing for clubs of the calibre of Manchester City, Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain, speaking in a new interview.
Manchester City secured the arrival of Iliman Ndiaye from Everton on deadline day.
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Belloumi, 24, has made a bright start to the 2026-27 EFL Championship season with Hull City, scoring two goals and providing two assists in six appearances since the campaign began.
The Algeria international,who received his first senior international call-up this month on the back of his club form, joined Hull in August 2024 from SC Farense and has steadily built a reputation as one of the division's most dangerous wide players in the time since.
His path to this point has not been straightforward. Belloumi has suffered a series of significant physical setbacks across his career, including a cruciate ligament injury that kept him sidelined for more than 200 days, as well as hamstring and thigh muscle problems.
The fact that he has managed to emerge from that catalogue of issues and establish himself as a consistent contributor at Championship level makes his current form all the more striking to those close to him.
The comments from his father, Lakhdar Belloumi - himself a former Algeria international player and manager - come at a moment when the winger appears to be hitting genuine stride.
Lakhdar Belloumi acknowledged that his son received offers from unnamed clubs over the summer but that no agreement was reached. The inference from his comments is that Hull City, however well-run a club, represents a temporary home rather than a destination.
Manchester City have been active in the wide areas across the summer, signing Allan Elias from Palmeiras for €40 million to replace Savinho and retaining Jeremy Doku on a new deal through to 2031.
The Blues also recruited Iliman Ndiaye from Everton after sanctioning a season-long loan for Omar Marmoush, with a mandatory option to buy, strengthening the competition for places in the wide attacking areas.
Lakhdar Belloumi: Mohamed Deserves to Play for Barcelona, Real Madrid, PSG, Marseille and Man City
Speaking to Win Win, Lakhdar Belloumi, father of Mohamed, made it clear that he believes that the sky is the limit for his son.
"With all due respect to Hull City, but at this level, he deserves to play for a bigger club competing for domestic and continental titles, such as Barcelona, Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, Marseille and Manchester City," said Lakhdar, as relayed by Sport Witness.
On his son's openness to a move: "If we receive any major offer, we wouldn't object to him leaving. This is just the beginning, God willing, he'll continue."
The comments from Lakhdar carry the natural optimism of a parent watching his son perform well, but there is a grounded quality to the framing too.
He does not claim a specific interest from any of the clubs he names, only that his son's level warrants that kind of platform. The first Algeria call-up this month gives the argument added weight at a time when Belloumi's name is increasingly circulating beyond the Championship.
What is next for Mohamed Belloumi at Hull City?
Belloumi's immediate future is at Hull, where he is contracted and playing regularly under a manager who clearly rates him.
Whether the second half of the season brings a January enquiry from a side in one of Europe's top leagues will depend on how consistently he sustains his current form across the Championship campaign.
At 24, with his injury troubles apparently behind him for now and an international career beginning to open up, the window for attracting elite interest is still wide open.
Manchester City have just reshuffled their options on the wings and are unlikely to address that area of the squad in January or even next summer, unless exceptional circumstances present themselves in the form of injuries to key players.