'Hell of an offer' needed to secure Wigan Athletic Academy product

The 23-year-old striker has scored eight goals so far this season for the Seasiders - who lie 16th in League One, one place and three points above Latics, having played a game more - from 28 appearances.

That has reportedly caught the eye of Championship strugglers Hull City, who have already landed Joe Gelhardt this month on loan from Leeds United.

Already at Hull is centre-back Charlie Hughes, who was a team-mate of Joseph and Gelhardt in the Latics Under-18 side that reached the quarter-final of the FA Youth Cup in 2019-20.

A figure of £2million has been mentioned in relation to Joseph, and Blackpool boss Bruce admits the player - who he is desperate to hold on to - would not come cheap.

“There’s been a few reports, but I think it’s more speculation than anything else just yet," Bruce told the Blackpool Gazette. "It would take a hell of an offer for me to consider anything like that, because Kyle epitomises what I like in a football player.

“Why wouldn’t there be interest, he’s a very good player. Every footballer has a price, but I don’t think we’re that far down the line. There’s been a registered interest but that’s football. Whether anything materialises, we’ll see.

“We all like Kyle and what he gives the team. He gives everything a supporter would want, and myself. If there’s been registered interest then you can understand why."

Latics were strongly linked with a move for Joseph last summer, although Blackpool's asking price at the time - substantially lower than is being quoted now - was out of their reach.

The former Scotland Under-21 international scored five times in 18 appearances for Latics during the administration campaign of 2020-21 before joining Swansea City that summer, shortly after the takeover by Phoenix 2021 Ltd.

After loan spells at Cheltenham Town and Oxford United, he left Swansea for Blackpool on a permanent basis in the summer of 2023.