Hibs refuse to rule out Mykola Kukharevych return after Girona 'swap bid' falls through

Hibs haven’t given up hope of bringing Mykola Kukharevych back to Easter Road – despite hopes of a reunion seemingly hanging by a thread earlier this month.

The Ukrainian striker spent last season on loan in the Capital with injuries reducing him to just 15 appearances, during which he scored five goals but despite that, manager Lee Johnson expressed his desire to get the player back for a second spell. Earlier this month however, the chances of a reunion appeared to have diminished, with Hibs turning their attentions to other targets as a number of clubs were linked with the Ukrainian under-21 internationalist.

Kukharevych, who hasn’t ruled out a return to Scotland, is owned by French side Troyes, who are part of the City Football Group, and Polish champions Raków Częstochowa were reported to be interested in signing the forward on loan. But Spanish side Girona, who are also part of the City Football Group empire, wanted to use the 22-year-old as a makeweight in a deal to sign his compatriot Artem Dovbyk from Dnipro-1. The Blanquivermells tabled an offer that included loaning Kukharevych to Dnipro with an option to buy, but the Ukrainian Premier League side weren’t satisfied with Girona’s offer and rejected the package for the 26-year-old striker who has hit 50 goals in 79 appearances.

It is unclear how such an arrangement would have worked. Kukharevych is under contract at Troyes until summer 2026, but after his parent club were relegated to Ligue 2 at the end of last season they could be open to selling the player, who has admitted he would rather play his club football at a higher level than the French second tier.

Hibs haven't given up hope of bringing Mykola Kukharevych back to Easter Road. Picture: Ross Parker / SNS Group

Hibs are still working on a second loan deal for Manchester United defender Will Fish and remain keen to add to their attacking options. They are looking at a number of potential new arrivals including Kukharevych but having already spent the best part of £1 million on Élie Youan, Jojo Wollacott, Max Boruc, Dylan Levitt, and Riley Harbottle, a permanent deal for the player may be out of reach this summer, with any return likely to be another loan arrangement.

Meanwhile, Hibs’ development team will take on Burnley Under-21s at St Andrews on Wednesday afternoon as part of their pre-season preparations.