The Brazilian is among 10 players to have been released by new Blues boss Mark Hughes and has been linked with a move to Hull.

Geovanni is considering his options and Tigers chairman Paul Duffen admits the 28-year-old is being monitored by manager Phil Brown.

"There's interest in the player, but that's all we're prepared to say at this stage" Duffen told the Hull Daily Mail.

Former Benfica schemer Geovanni moved to the City of Manchester Stadium last summer, but struggled to establish himself in then-manager Sven-Goran Eriksson's starting line-up.

He made 19 Premier League appearances, but started only twice, and had been linked with a January move to Deportivo La Coruna.

Geovanni did score on his debut against West Ham and also netted the only goal in the home win over local rivals Manchester United.