Lee Johnson hasn’t completely given up hope of Ryan Porteous performing a stunning U-turn and staying at Hibs.
The defender has knocked back the offer of a new deal after a decade associated with the club but is set to take his place in the heart of defence for Thursday's trip to face Rangers. Speculation linking the Ibrox club with a move for the Scotland international has been rife during the World Cup break although there’s been no contact.
But Johnson has no qualms about throwing him into the line of fire as the Premiership returns from the World Cup break and insists he’d rather sell him to a club south of the border. Hibs could be tempted to cash in on Porteous next month if the price is right. Stoke City, Millwall, Watford, Norwich and Serie A side Udinese are all understood to be interested in the 23-year-old. But Johnson is not completely resigned to losing the defender.
He said: “I don’t think the percentile is in our favour, don’t get me wrong, but a lot can happen. Touch wood he doesn’t, but let’s say he gets injured.
“Things change, and he might get a one week knock, he might get a four month knock, then is someone going to sign him? They are all unknown factors that change things in football and a week is a blooming long time in football.
“A set of circumstances can change drastically and Ryan knows Hibs is a good club and he knows we are doing our very best to try to progress the club as quickly as possible. I also believe Ryan knows it is a really good offer for the club that we have made.
“There are obviously potential suitors out there to the point we know there is interest. I know the clubs that are interested even although I won’t reveal them but no one has gone bosh, there’s a deal.
“I’ve spoken to him, on a regular basis about potential options and he’s asked my advice on various clubs, Championship clubs, foreign clubs and stuff like that but honestly Rangers is not one of the ones that have come up.
“I’m not saying that doesn’t mean they’re in for him but maybe they have not been as prominent as some of the other clubs. I would prefer to see him go down south if he was to leave. It’d get him in a different market and out the way because I like him and if I didn’t think he was any good I’d be happy for him to be playing for one of our rivals.
“If I was his advisor you have got to continue to try to be the best player you can be. There’s still a lot to do for him.
"He has bags of potential but my teams have sold Lloyd Kelly for £17.5million rising to £22m, Adam Webster for £20m rising to £25m and £3.5m for Marc Roberts after he signed for a free and £5.5m for Alfie Mawson from Barnsley that we signed for £60,000. He is right up there with Webster, Kelly, Mawson in terms of his age and potential.”
Should Hibs cash in on Porteous, Johnson would love to see the proceeds being kept in the football side of the business as he admitted improvements need to be made in their recruitment. But he said: “Ron Gordon has invested good money and there has been an increase in the budget.
“Some of the recruitment we have got right and some we have got wrong and we need to improve in that area, but there has been a lot of work in terms of our structure discussed and disclosed to the owner and the board. Money in should stay in the club.
“But for me as a manager playing the long game, it doesn’t have to be spent on a direct replacement. It may be other areas of the team and the squad, it could be facilities, like our pitches, because what is the cost of injuries picked up on boggy pitches in financial terms?
“I always want to cut up the pot in ways I see fit, although I accept it is not only my decision where the finances go.”
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