Hibs transfer news: Club stance on Porteous revealed as former Easter Road captain eyes comeback

Hibs remain open to the idea of Ryan Porteous returning to Easter Road. But they are not actively pursuing a move for the former club captain, as negotiations with out-of-contract defender Rocky Bushiri continue to progress.

As previously reported by The Evening News, Porteous has never completely fallen off the radar of Hibs head coach David Gray and sporting director Malky Mackay, with the Edinburgh club having pitched a loan move to the Scotland defender back in January. Porteous opted to sign for Preston North End instead, with the centre-half going on to make 11 appearances for the EFL Championship club.

Now back at Watford but unlikely to get much game time heading into the new season, the 26-year-old is exploring other options. Hibs are understood to have moved up the former skipper’s pecking order as he looks to force his way back into Steve Clarke’s Scotland squad ahead of a World Cup campaign kicking off in September.

With two years remaining on his contract, Porteous – who netted Hibs £450,000 when he moved to Watford in January of 2023 – is looking for a loan deal that will raise his profile. And a return to Hibs, even on a temporary basis, would undoubtedly be popular with supporters.

But new head of recruitment Garvan Stewart has been working to a plan for this summer, with Gray looking to add quality in key areas – with help from within billionaire Bournemouth owner Bill Foley’s Black Knight group, ideally – as Hibs aim to secure European league stage football AND defend their Best of the Rest status claimed by finishing third in the Scottish Premiership last season.

Although central defence will be a priority area in the event of Bushiri moving on, talks between the Democratic Republic of Congo defender – an absolute stand-out as Hibs dragged themselves off the foot of the table in a spectacular turnaround of fortunes – remain ongoing. Should Bushiri agree terms on a new contract, the need to reinforce the back three will become less pressing.

Within the football department at East Mains, however, there is an obvious recognition of what Porteous – a full international who would immediately settle at the club where he made his name – could bring to the group. Which is why no-one in the recruitment arm of the club is willing to dismiss the idea of a comeback for the popular stopper.

Hibs still hoping to do business in split summer window

Hibs have made two signings so far this summer, completing the pre-contract recruitment of Jamie McGrath after the attacking midfielder left Aberdeen and landing free agent goalkeeper Raphael Sallinger on a three-year deal. Ahead of the transfer window closing this evening, only to re-open after the FIFA World Club Championship has run its course, they are in the market for specific targets and well-defined ‘types’ able to fit into the system and culture built by Gray during his first season as a gaffer.

Nectar Triantis remains top of the wanted list despite Sunderland demanding a deal worth up to £1 million to greenlight an Easter Road return for the Australian midfielder, a star performer in his second loan stint with Hibs last season. They are also in the market for another striker following the retirement of Dwight Gayle and the return to Swansea of Mykola Kuharevich.

Your next Hibs transfer read: Sunderland’s price tag on Triantis - and how it affects his chances of a return to Edinburgh