Hibs' Europa League foe could sell €8m star as FC Midtjylland chairman in 'cows out to pasture' quip

A key FC Midtjylland player has been promised a transfer exit from the Danish club as preparations begin for a Europa League second qualifying round showdown with Hibs.

David Gray’s side have returned to pre season and face a tricky assignment in their first clash of this campaign. They travel to Denmark first before the second leg at Easter Road as they look to take a step closer to the lucrative league phase within UEFA’s second tier competition.

Midtjylland are regulars when it comes to European football but chairman Claus Steinlein has made claims in Denmark that while one player may not be allowed to leave, another has been made an exit promise. Oliver Sorensen has been a key man in midfield with 10 goals and five assists last season, and his club are believed to be demanding a fee in the vicinity of €7-8 million to sanction an exit.

FC Midtjylland transfer latest

Sky Germany add on that figure that Bundesliga Werder Bremen and Borussia Monchengladbach are just two of the parties interested in a move. While an exit may be more difficult for fellow midfielder Aral Simsir to achieve, Steinlein has admitted in addressing the Turkish youth international that his in-demand teammate has already been promised a switch upon the right terms being agreed. All of that was tied together with notions of cows being put out into a field.

He said: “He had a bad end to the season with injury. Football is also a snapshot. It depends on how far we get in Europe. There are 11-13 games before the window closes. So it is also Aral's job – if he wants to leave - to show that.

“I can see him standing and juggling. He's ready. It's like putting the cows out to pasture when the players come out there – so it's cool to see. Aral is a little more like it has to be the right thing for both of them. Oliver is more like we promised him that. The football market is very quick on the trigger. Aral should get into the new season well – we'll see.”

What Hibs Europa League opponents could do in the transfer market

Steinlein added last week on possible recruitment targets: “The task is to find a centre-back because we sold Juninho, so we only have three, and we would like to have four. So that's a task we have, and then we have to look at the team. You never know how it will go. Will Oliver be sold?

“We have given him permission to study the possibility himself in the market, but it must also be something that suits Oliver - and it must suit us. We are quite concerned about money, and Oliver is concerned that it must be the right sporting thing. We have to be concerned with that, just like with all other transfers.

“We need a good centre-back, so we are safe. We need the best centre-back for the cheapest money we can get. And then there is how much money we want to spend - and it depends on the quality. We need to have some quality. Whether they were born in Scandinavia or in South America, we can also see that there is a lot of difference. You can bring in Brazilians who are from Northern Brazil. They are one type of person. You can bring them in Southern Brazil. There is a difference between Juninho and Paulinho. You can also feel that in the press. It is more about personality, and nationality does not matter that much.”