Jamie McCart: Hibs 'will make second bid' for in-demand St Johnstone defender

Hibs have failed in a bid to buy defender Jamie McCart from St Johnstone but will return with a second offer, according to reports.

St Johnstone defender Jamie McCart, pictured against Hibs' Kevin Nisbet, is reportedly a target for the Easter Road club.

The 24-year-old centre-half was a key component in St Johnstone’s backline last season as they won both the League and the Scottish Cup.

McCart – the son of former Motherwell player Chris – impressed alongside Saints captain Jason Kerr and fellow central defender Liam Gordon in the 2020/21 campaign and, understandably, all three are attracting attention.

Both Kerr and McCart are entering the final year of their contract and it was reported this morning that Hibs have had an opening offer for McCart thrown out by the Saints hierarchy.

That bid is understood to have been in the region of £200,000 and the Dundee Courier claim that Hibs will go back in with more money to try and tempt the Perth club into selling.

McCart, who came through the youth ranks at Celtic, signed for St Johnstone from Inverness in January 2020, penning a two-and-a-half year deal. While St Johnstone are keen to keep McCart and the guts of their history-making team from last season, they are aware that there is significant interest from clubs with more money to offer in wages. However, chairman Steve Brown will not sell his players on the cheap.

Hibs are in the market for a central defender, with their own player Ryan Porteous being courted by clubs in England and Turkey. Porteous and Paul Hanlon are the two first-choice centre-backs, with veteran Darren McGregor providing cover, and Easter Road manager Jack Ross wants to reinforce that part of the team.

Hibs have already been active in the summer transfer window in signing St Mirren midfielder Jake Doyle-Hayes and Inverness winger Daniel Mackay, but they are also expected to field bids for Porteous and in-demand Scotland striker Kevin Nisbet, who has been linked with Celtic.

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