Bundesligist Union Berlin and striker Ilyas Ansah have parted ways after just one year, with the 21-year-old moving to English Premier League side Hull City in a club-record transfer package worth at least 21 million euros, according to club announcements.
The deal, finalized on Deadline Day, eclipses Union Berlin’s previous outgoing transfer record set in 2022, when Taiwo Awoniyi joined Nottingham Forest for approximately 20.5 million euros. Ansah has signed a contract with Hull City running through 2031.
Record-Breaking Departure for Union Berlin
According to Union Berlin’s managing director of professional football, Horst Heldt, the English club’s lucrative proposal proved too compelling to turn down. “The interest from England and the offer from Hull City were very attractive both for the player and for us as a club,” Heldt stated. Heldt noted that following constructive talks, management agreed to honor the young forward’s desire to test himself in the Premier League.
Ansah originally arrived in the capital in the summer of 2025, moving from SC Paderborn for an estimated four million euros. During his single season with the Köpenicker, the U21 international made 37 competitive appearances across all competitions, netting five goals. Heldt praised the forward’s trajectory during his time in Berlin, noting that Ansah took significant developmental steps and proved his capabilities at a high level in the Bundesliga.
Hull City Secures Long-Term Prospect
Simultaneously, the frantic nature of Deadline Day kept German clubs active elsewhere, with Hamburger SV introducing a new right-back to bolster their defensive options.
