Harry McKirdy's switch to Hibs from Swindon Town is OFF.
The Hibees approached Swindon over the striker's availability on Tuesday, as exclusively revealed by Record Sport . The forward was due to undergo a medical in Edinburgh today ahead of signing on the dotted line at Easter Road as Lee Johnson sought to add more firepower to his squad. He allowed Christian Doidge to join Kilmarnock on loan until the end of the season yesterday in anticipation of McKirdy arriving, but now could be left short in attack.
But now he'll have to look elsewhere after both clubs pulled out of a deal for the 25-year-old, according to our colleagues at Football Scotland. Negotiations between the clubs were expected to go smoothly but dragged on today, with the issue thought to be regarding the fee Hibs would pay the County Ground club in order to bring McKirdy to the Scottish Premiership.
Johnson now faces a sweat to try and come up with an alternative as the minutes tick down to the end of the transfer window. Elie Youan, Momodou Bojang and fans favourite Martin Boyle have all been signed over the course of the window to bolster the attacking options. But with Kevin Nisbet still out injured for a couple of months after suffering a serious knee ligament injury back in February, another out and out striker is required, especially after Doidge's departure.
If another target can't be signed in time, then Johnson may have to rely on some of the club's young sharpshooters for depth until January. The club's development side enjoyed a strong campaign last year, with youngster Josh O'Connor - son of Hibs legend Garry - and Ethan Laidlaw both getting first team exposure last term under Shaun Maloney.
Fans have also been keen to see another midfielder arrive before the end of the window. But with Kyle Magennis on his way back from injury, it's understood that Johnson has no plans to add to his engine room before midnight.
Defender Will Fish is set to join on loan from Manchester United. But now the Leith boss is in a race against time to source a different frontman after the developments with McKirdy and Swindon.
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