Ryan Porteous: No concrete interest in Hibs ace amid suggestion of Rangers switch

Hibs have not yet received any concrete interest in Ryan Porteous, despite one former Easter Road manager suggesting Rangers were weighing up a move for the defender.

The 23-year-old is out of contract in the summer and is free to talk to clubs regarding a pre-contract from January, although the player could move on next month with Lee Johnson raising the prospect of getting a fee for the highly-rated centre-back.

Clyde boss Jim Duffy, who managed Hibs between 1996 and 1998, claimed during an appearance on Clyde 1’s Superscoreboard programme to have heard that the Gers were weighing up a move for the Scotland internationalist. Responding to a suggestion made by a caller that Celtic should be looking at Porteous, Duffy replied: “I have heard that there is a little bit of a suggestion that he may be going across the road to their greatest rivals. So, I have heard that, whether there’s that much in it but that’s something that’s in the air on the football grapevine, should we say.”

Hibs are braced for interest in Porteous with the winter transfer window just around the corner, but the defender may well see out his contract at Easter Road before moving on in the summer.

Ryan Porteous is about to enter the last six months of his contract at Easter Road

His performances in green and white have led to a string of teams being credited with an interest including Millwall, Sheffield United, and Stoke City, while Turkish club Galatasaray and Russian outfit Krasnodar were linked with moves for the boyhood Hibee last year.

Johnson has already insisted he has no problem selecting the 23-year-old, who turned down a bumper new contract offer from the club – one that the Easter Road boss insisted should have been made ‘two and a half years earlier for a player of his quality’.

Speaking after Hibs’ 2-0 friendly defeat by Middlesbrough last month Johnson added: “Ryan turned down the best contract we could offer and is seeking pastures new. We can’t do anymore in terms of what we’ve done, the conversations have been good.

"I think potentially a January sale would be the best idea if we realise the fee, because at that point you can reinvest the money back into the club. That doesn’t necessarily mean a replacement for Ryan but we do need to put that money back in."