The Tigers defender was wanted by Premier League rivals Boro in the summer.
Hull City defender Harry Maguire says Middlesbrough kept coming back to sign him in the summer, as reported by the Yorkshire Post.
Boro’s rekindled interest in the 23-year-old was first revealed by HITC Sport in July, after they had failed with a January attempt.
Later in the window, a bid of £7 million was reported by the Sun, but Maguire remained at the KCOM Stadium beyond the 31 August deadline for transfers.
When asked about the Teessiders’ interest, Maguire said, as quoted by the Yorkshire Post: “I was not really concentrating on it too much. The club reiterated to me that they were not going to accept anything for me.
“Middlesbrough kept coming back, but the club kept rejecting them, which gave me a bit of confidence really and showed that they want to keep me for the long season ahead.
“Obviously, it is up to the club and I am under contract.”
Maguire is far from a Hull regular, having made 43 appearances in more than two years in East Yorkshire.
However, the Tigers’ player shortage – they began the new Premier League season with 13 senior players on their books – meant they could not afford to lose the centre-back, who arrived from regional rivals Sheffield United for £2.69 million (Transfermarkt).
After failing to land the Bramall Lane product, Boro turned to Arsenal’s Calum Chambers to bolster their defensive ranks, having previously signed Colombian Bernardo Espinosa from Sporting Gijon.
Another Teessiders centre-back, Ben Gibson, was this week linked with an England call-up.
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