Hibs closing in on first January signing as one time Barcelona prospect targeted - exclusive

Hibs are closing in on their first signing of the January window, as gaffer David Gray looks to boost his team for their dash to a top-six place – and the pursuit of European football via a strong finish to the Scottish Premiership season. The Easter Road club have been comparatively quite in the opening weeks of the mid-season transfer market, as new head of recruitment Garvan Stewart sifts through the available talent in pursuit of an ‘X Factor’ acquisition capable of delivering immediate improvement.

That search has now narrowed to include prime target Alasana Manneh, who is in the final six months of his contract at Danish club Odense Boldklub. The 26-year-old Gambian is eager for a new challenge – and Hibs are keen to bring him on board as Gray looks to build on recent improvements by guiding his team into the European places.

Manneh is a left-sided central midfielder who is responsible for creating a lot of Odense’s chances as they’ve established themselves as title favourites at the top of Denmark’s second tier. Capped a dozen times by his country, he was part of the Gambia squad at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.

The midfielder, whose ball-winning skills have also seen him deployed in a more defensive role, started out his European career with mighty Barcelona, joining the set-up at La Masia after a spell with the Aspire Academy in Qatar.

He made it as far as Barca B before embarking on a series of loan moves culminating in his departure from Barcelona in 2019. After a stint with Polish club Gornik Zabrze, Maneh signed for Odense on a three-year deal in 2022.

One potential sticking point is an injury crisis at OB, with Soren Krogh’s squad especially short of bodies in central midfield. Should Manneh leave now, the Danes will be left with mainly youngsters to help out German veteran Tom Trybull in the middle of the park.

But Manneh, who has six assists in 17 appearances this season, has missed the last two games for Krogh’s men – and sources in Denmark say he’s already been convinced that a move to Hibs makes sense. He was left out of the squad completely for the last fixture, suggesting that his time at Odense is drawing to a close.

Hibs, who could sign Manneh on a pre-contract with a view to a summer move should negotiations break down, have made recruitment of a strong-running midfielder a priority in the window. With club captain Joe Newell out injured, Gray is keen to reinforce this area of the park to provide help for Sunderland loanee Nectar Triantis – and competition for the likes of Dylan Levitt and on-loan Celtic player Hyeokkyu Kwon.