Dundee send 'compelling' message to Hibs over in-demand transfer target ahead of Easter Road clash

What's the quickest way to Easter Road, then? McCowan (centre) enjoys a laugh with former Hibee Simon Murray at training. | SNS Group

Dundee managing director John Nelms has warned Hibs that only a “compelling” offer will prise Luke McCowan away from Dens Park. But the Easter Road outfit are STILL waiting for an official response to their latest bid for the midfielder.

The teams meet in Edinburgh tomorrow afternoon, with McCowan obviously likely to attract a lot of attention after Hibs bid in the region of £750,000 for the Dark Blues skipper. With Celtic also reported to be interested, Dundee are unlikely to make a snap decision before next Friday’s transfer deadline – but Hibs remain interested in getting a deal done.

Nelms, speaking on the The Warm-Up podcast, praised his player for his conduct amid the speculation, before declaring: “The money has to be compelling. It's not like we're selling money to keep the lights on or anything.

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"We're investing in the organisation. The fans are investing in the organisation. So we have to be very careful in why we do it. And it has to be compelling.

"It can't just be: 'Oh a couple of hundred grand here, a couple of hundred grand there.' And it has to be the right time.

"We're talking from kids at 16 all the way up. What is the right time to go? What do their families want out of this?

"It does look to the fan base like it's quite black and white. But it's anything but.

"Luke's a credit to himself. Luke's our captain. He's handling of all the attention really, really well. 

"He says: 'I'm a Dundee player, I'm the captain, I have a responsibility, this is what I do. Whatever happens, happens.' So he's been a credit to himself.”

Hibs boss David Gray, meanwhile, does NOT expect to have Elie Youan or Junior Hoilett available for tomorrow’s Scottish Premiership clash, which will see the home side seek to win their first league points of the season. Although both attackers are back in training, neither is ready for game time just yet.

With on-loan Celtic midfielder Hyeokkyu Kwon fit and raring to go, Gray knows what to expect from Tony Docherty’s Dundee, saying: “Tony's done a fantastic job. They've started really well. They've scored lots of goals and they're a really high-energy team who force you to defend a lot.

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“They've got a lot of good footballers in the team, so we'll be prepared for what we're going to face. We need to make sure we start the game as well as we can.

“All you can do is focus on what's in front of you. It's been a tough start, and we've made it tougher for ourselves but at the same time there are a lot of positives. The squad's taking shape all the time, the players are spending more time with myself and the staff and learning how we want to work.

“Saturday's another chance to go and put that into practice. I'm delighted where everyone is physically, and we've got a healthy squad available.”