Hibs have cooled their interest in Swindon Town midfielder Jonny Wiliams after failing with a five-figure bid.
Lee Johnson wanted the 29-year-old to bolster his options in the engine room. But efforts to sign the Wales international have fallen short of Swindon's valuation - while also being hampered by Jody Morris’ appointment as Robins manager this morning.
Williams, who has made 25 appearances this season but is out of contract in the summer, remains an integral figure at the County Ground with Swindon currently sitting in the League Two play-off spots. Morris was appointed to his first managerial position this morning, replacing Scott Lindsay who moved on to Crawley Town earlier this month, and is keen to hold onto one of the most experienced members of his squad.
Hibs - who play Ross County this evening in Dingwall - have now prioritised the hunt for a central defender in the closing hours of the window following Ryan Porteous’ exit for Watford last week. But rumours Celtic’s Stephen Welsh is a target are wide of the mark and the Leith club has moved on from early interest in Stuart Findlay and Bailey Wright.
The Easter Road club also won’t entertain any more bids for Kevin Nisbet or Josh Campbell in the closing hours of the window. Wigan failed with bids for both players on Monday with former Hibs boss Shaun Maloney keen to add firepower and midfield energy to his struggling Championship squad.
Maloney is also understood to be keen on midfielder Ewan Henderson - who was his second signing as Hibs boss a year ago - but whether a bid arrives ahead of the English window closing at 11pm remains to be seen. Nisbet, Campbell and Henderson all travelled to Dingwall with the Hibs squad yesterday and are in line to feature in the squad this evening when they take on Ross County.
One player who is set to move on though is Emmanuel Johnson. The 19-year-old forward signed from Sacramento last year and has spent time on loan at Charleston Battery and FC Edinburgh. Now he is set to join Austin FC on loan with the MLS side having a six-figure option to sign.
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