Exclusive:Hibs in new deal talks with star attacker - could World Cup hopes delay Easter Road exit?

Hibs have started talks aimed at persuading veteran attacking threat Junior Hoilett to sign on for a second season at Easter Road. And the Edinburgh side hope they can persuade the Canadian international that he’ll play a big enough part in the new campaign to cement his place in next summer’s World Cup.

Former Blackburn, QPR, Reading, and Aberdeen ace Hoilett turns 35 in the summer. But he’s played his way back into David Gray’s first XI in recent weeks, starting in the last four games – including the 2-0 win at Ibrox – as Hibs extended their unbeaten league run to a record-equalling 17 games.

Hoilett’s family haven’t joined him in Edinburgh, and his own intentions are unclear. Speaking last month, Hoilett would only say: “I'm enjoying my football here. It's a great group and it's like a family here.

“I feel very comfortable here coming in, training day in and day out. I'd love to see what the future holds but right now I'm just focusing on the now and here and see what happens.”

Former Blackburn, QPR and Aberdeen star wants to be part of ex-Leeds boss Jesse Marsch’s Canada plans

It now appears that the situation has moved on, with Hibs making solid overtures aimed at persuading Hoilett to stick around for another season – and make enough of a contribution to persuade Canada boss Jess Marsch to include him in the squad for a World Cup that will include games just minutes from the player’s home town of Brampton, Ontario.

Asked about progress on the Hoilett front, manager Gray revealed: “There's discussions with Junior as well at the moment. Clearly you want to keep top players and top people at the football club if you can.

“He's done brilliantly, not just in the last few weeks. We've always known his quality, we've seen that throughout his whole career.

“But I've spoken a lot about the fact that, even when he's not played, he’s been a really positive influence on the group. You can’t imagine how key it is to have players like that within your training group every single day.

“He's certainly developed into that role model for younger players, he's taken a few under his wing, which is great to see. And I think he's in a really good place.

“He's enjoying his football just now, which is a major factor for any player. So the conversations are happening all the time.”

Hibs are constantly negotiating with a number of out-of-contract and loan players ahead of a busy summer, with Sunderland’s Nectar Triantis also a prime target. The midfielder has been a stand-out in his second stint at Easter Road.

The player’s agent spoke last week about his client’s priorities heading into next season, with a desire to be part of the Socceroos squad at the 2026 World Cup top of the list. Triantis won his first call-up to the Australia squad during the last international break, with new Socceroos boss Tony Popovic revealing that he’d been impressed with the 21-year-old in February’s 2-1 home win over Celtic. Gray believes Hibs can offer Triantis the opportunity to be a key player in a team competing – he hopes – in European football and challenging for domestic honours.

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