Steve Bruce has stated that he is resigned to losing key players this summer.
Hull City have had to face the financial consequences of relegation and as a result, the Tigers have been forced to put a host of key players up for sale.
The likes of Dame N'Doye, Abel Hernandez and Nikica Jelavic are just some of the key men Hull could lose this summer and manager Bruce has explained that he is powerless to prevent the strikers from leaving the KC Stadium.
Bruce told the Hull Daily Mail: "This is the difficulty that I face. If we're all going to ask everyone to take 30 and 40 per cent wage reductions, then their agents demand there's a buy-out clause so they can meet the salaries they were on.
"With a number of players that's the case. That's where we are at the moment. For now we've still got a nucleus for a very good side. We'll look to add to that. We have to. We can't go into the season with 14 or 15 players like we've got.
"Mo Diame is still injured as is Robert Snodgrass and their returns are not imminent. We can discount those two. We're down to the bare bones."