Stuart Kettlewell believes Motherwell are in the advanced stages of negotiations regarding the potential transfer exit of Theo Bair - but he claims reports around the fee haven't been accurate.
Bair has been the subject of interest from French Ligue 1 club, Auxerre. Initial reports suggested a £1.25 million transfer fee had been settled between the two teams, but Kettlewell's recent comments have indicated that the final amount will be even higher.
The Motherwell boss has not disclosed the specific details of the ongoing negotiations, but he has expressed confidence that the club is close to finalising the deal for the talented young forward to depart Fir Park.
Bair's impending departure would be a significant loss for Motherwell, but the potential income they will receive could provide a valuable financial boost for the Scottish Premiership club.
“We’re probably moving to a more advanced stage," Kettlewell confessed.
“I’ve seen so many different reports, the guys here at the football club share a lot of information with me to make sure I’m up to speed with the stuff I don’t see on social media and all the different types of things. And the one thing I can absolutely guarantee is that I’ve not seen one accurate report in terms of the numbers or anything like that.
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“We are at advanced stage in terms of Theo moving on, I can absolutely confirm that.
“I can’t give you too much more information, but nobody has reached the numbers that we’re actually speaking about as a football club. Everything has been undershot in any report that I’ve seen, but we just need to monitor that really over the next 24 hours.”
The 24-year-old, who previously played for St Johnstone, found his scoring touch towards the end of last season, netting 13 goals in the final 18 games.
This impressive form earned him a call-up to the Canadian national team for the prestigious Copa America tournament.
Despite his side's loss to Uruguay in the third-place play-off on Saturday, where Bair came off the bench for the final 13 minutes, his stock is clearly on the rise.
Kettlewell revealed that there have been several bids for the player, all of which have been rejected by the club - but knows it's only a matter of time before someone offers a fee that Motherwell can't resist.
He said: “There have been a lot of conversations and I’ve been really transparent with some of those conversations, some of the bids that have come in that have been turned down by the football club.
“But I’m now thinking he is back from international duty and that will start to move over the next 24-48 hours.”
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In other news, Paul McGinn has been named as the new Motherwell captain, replacing Liam Kelly, who joined Rangers this summer, in that role.
Stephen O'Donnell took the armband because of McGinn's absence for the recent Premier Sports Cup victory over Edinburgh City. And Kettlewell has stated that O'Donnell will take on the duties of vice-captain for the upcoming season.
“Between the two players, they have played over 1,000 games of football,” Kettlewell explained.
“Paul is a voice and a big influence in the dressing room. The consistency and standards he drives every day is impressive.
“I always think a captain needs to have an affinity with the group, he has that. A captain can’t just be in name, you need to have serious influence.
“In the end, this was an easy decision to make given the experience and voice both players have in the team.”
