Lee Johnson revealed Hibs are braced for 'inevitable' attempts to prise Ryan Porteous away from Easter Road in January.
The Edinburgh club have offered their Scotland international centre-back an extended contract as his current deal counts down towards expiry in June 2023.
Porteous will be free to field pre-contract options in January and his manager reckons there'll be no shortage of interest - claiming clubs would not be "doing their jobs properly" otherwise.
But Johnson remains hopeful Hibs can compete with the 23-year-old defender's growing list of admirers.
"It's something that is inevitable, and if it's not then these clubs and scouts aren't doing their jobs properly.
"There's no doubt that a lot of these clubs will have looked at him.
"Whether we can compete financially with other clubs, I think we can nearly."
Hibs return to Premiership action on Tuesday night, hosting Ross County after last Friday's trip north to Aberdeen ended in a 4-1 drubbing.
Johnson will be without the injured Martin Boyle but expects the winger to be fit to represent Australia at the Qatar World Cup alongside former Hibee Jason Cummings.
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