Hull City are seeking legal advice over whether they should receive automatic promotion to the Premier League following Southampton's dramatic removal from the Championship play-off final.
The Tigers had been set to face the Saints at Wembley this Saturday before the south coast club was expelled from the competition amid a spying scandal.
Club officials are now in discussions with lawyers to determine if they have grounds to bypass the final entirely and secure top-flight football without kicking a ball.
Turkish-British owner Acun Ilicali has confirmed his legal team believes there may be a case for direct promotion.
Sergej Jakirovic has led Hull to the Championship play-off final after beating Millwall in the previous round
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The Humberside outfit last competed in the Premier League in 2017 and could return either through legal channels or by defeating Middlesbrough, who have replaced Southampton in the final.
Ilicali has voiced his exasperation at the sudden change of opponent, revealing the extensive groundwork his squad had undertaken.
"Under normal circumstances, two teams have reached the final and one has been disqualified. Our lawyers' opinion is that we should go directly to the Premier League, but they're examining it right now," he told Turkish outlet Asist Analiz.
"We can't say anything definitive. It's a bit of a messy situation."
The owner explained that his players dedicated ten days to analysing and preparing specifically for Southampton, with all tactical planning centred on the Saints.
Southampton's 'spygate' scandal has gripped the Championship | GETTY"Tomorrow the players are off, Thursday is the last serious training session. We'll prepare for the new opponent with one training session," Ilicali added, highlighting the minimal preparation time remaining before Saturday's showpiece.
Southampton's removal from the play-offs came after an EFL Independent Disciplinary Committee found them guilty of multiple breaches of league regulations.
A member of the club's staff had been caught observing Middlesbrough's training sessions ahead of their semi-final clash, which the Saints won 2-1 on aggregate.
The investigation also uncovered that Southampton had monitored training sessions of Oxford United and Ipswich Town during the regular season.
As punishment, the club was thrown out of the play-offs entirely and handed a four-point penalty for the 2026-27 campaign.
Middlesbrough, who lost their semi-final tie to Southampton, have now been reinstated and will face Hull at Wembley on Saturday.
The match has been dubbed the "£200m final" given the enormous financial rewards of Premier League promotion.
The Saints club's chief executive described their punishment as 'the largest penalty ever imposed on an English football club' | GETTYSouthampton lodged an appeal against their punishment, with the hearing taking place this evening.
Club chief executive Phil Parsons has argued the sanction is grossly disproportionate compared to previous penalties in English football.
"Whereas Leeds United was fined £200,000 for a similar offence, Southampton has been denied the opportunity to compete in a game worth more than £200m," Parsons stated.
He pointed to Derby County's 21-point deduction and Everton's six-point penalty as examples of lesser punishments for arguably more serious infractions.
Hull chiefs believe they have a case to be promoted automatically
| GETTY"The Commission was entitled to impose a sanction. It was not, we will argue, entitled to impose one that is manifestly disproportionate to every previous sanction in the history of the English game," Parsons added.
Hull have not dismissed the possibility of pursuing legal action after Saturday's final should they remain in the Championship.