Ryan Porteous: No substance in reports linking Hibs defender with Russia switch

Reports linking Hibs defender Ryan Porteous with a move to Russia are wide of the mark, the Evening News has learned.

Reports over the weekend linked Ryan Porteous with a move to Russia

The 22-year-old was identified as a transfer target for Russian Premier League side Krasnodar over the weekend, with reports suggesting a £1 million bid might be enough to convince Hibs to sell one of their prized assets, but it is understood that there is no substance to the rumours.

Porteous is under contract at Easter Road until the end of the 2023 season and while many of his team-mates have recently extended their stay in the Capital, attempts to tie down the highly-rated centre-back have so far been unsuccessful.

Further efforts will be made by the club to convince the Scotland Under-21 internationalist that his future lies with Hibs, with key players Christian Doidge, Josh Doig, and Paul Hanlon among those signing new deals in recent weeks.

It is not the first time that Porteous has been linked with a departure from his boyhood heroes.

In January he was the subject of a £1 million offer from English Championship side Millwall, with the Lions failing in a bid to tempt him south, while Turkish giants Galatasaray were said to be weighing up a move last summer.

Queens Park Rangers have also been credited with an interest in the past 12 months along with Besiktas, who were said to be monitoring the defender’s situation in June.

Meanwhile, Hibs' search for a new manager continues, with interim boss David Gray all but ruling himself out of contention and former head coach Neil Lennon said to be ‘open’ to a return.

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