Hibs transfer latest in wake of Williams shift and Bonis and Bonne links

Club needs reinforcements ahead of next season

The transfer window opens in Scotland today with Hibs on the hunt for reinforcements, particularly in defence and in attack. The departure of Mikey Devlin to Livingston, and the loan returns of Will Fish and CJ Egan-Riley to Manchester United and Burnley respectively, leaves Rocky Bushiri and Paul Hanlon as the only two senior centre-backs in the squad.

Manager Lee Johnson is keen on bringing both Egan-Riley and Fish back to Easter Road, but Aberdeen also have designs on the Old Trafford youngster as they look to beef up their central defensive options.

The Easter Road side have already made Élie Youan’s loan move from St. Gallen permanent, but Ukrainian forward Mykola Kukharevych’s loan spell is up, with the 21-year-old continuing his injury rehab in Manchester, and Kevin Nisbet has been sold to Millwall for around £2 million.

Macauley Bonne in action for Charlton Athletic against Eiran Cashin of Derby during a League One clash at Pride Park in February

Elias Melkersen is due back after spending the second half of the season on loan at Sparta Rotterdam in the Netherlands while Christian Doidge returns from a season-long stint at Kilmarnock, but Hibs remain keen to add to their attacking corps.

The arrival of Brian McDermott as director of football has prompted a rethink in certain areas of recruitment, and although playmaker Jonny Williams was a key target earlier this year, with Hibs and Swindon failing to reach an agreement over a January switch, interest from Easter Road in the former Welsh internationalist has cooled and he looks set to put pen to paper on a three-year deal with Bradford City, teaming up with ex-Wales boss Mark Hughes.

Free agent striker Macauley Bonne, most recently at Charlton, and Larne forward Lee Bonis, are not thought to be high on the Capital club’s wishlist however, following reports crediting Hibs with an interest in both players. There could also be departures from the Easter Road first-team squad as plans continue ahead of their Europa Conference League qualifiers and the start of the league season.

Meanwhile, Melkersen has earned a first call-up to the Norway Under-21 squad for a friendly double-header against Scotland in Spain. The young Norwegians take on their Scottish counterparts on Thursday June 15 at the Estadio Olímpico Camilo Cano in La Nucía, before the two countries meet at the Estadio Nueva Condomina, home of Real Murcia.