Hibs owner Ron Gordon remains 'very hopeful' over agreeing fresh terms with Ryan Porteous as he delivered the latest update on his contract situation.
The new Scotland international is out of contract in the summer and will be free to talk to other interested parties come January 1. At this point should he not have put pen to paper at Easter Road he could agree a pre-contract elsewhere. Lee Johnson is desperate to keep the defender in Leith. He's a key man in his side and club chief Gordon has echoed the views of his manager.
He admits he 'absolutely loves' the Hibs star and while he knows he won't remain in the capital forever, he hopes he will decide to stay on a little longer with a 'very good proposal' on the table as he continues to weigh up his future. The stopper has played every single minute of the Premiership campaign to date while he also featured four times in the Premier Sports Cup with 15 appearances to his name at this stage of the season and two goals.
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Speaking on the Press Box podcast, Gordon said: “Ryan is terrific. He’s a great ambassador for the club in terms of his commitment and his style of play. I absolutely love Ryan.
"I’m hopeful that he will extend with us. I don’t know that we can keep him forever, but I’m hopeful that we will extend with us. We’ve had conversations and I think we’ve put a very good proposal for him to consider.
"Ultimately it’s going to be his call and we’ll support him no matter what he decides. We want to support all our players and certainly want to support Ryan, but I’m very hopeful we can reach an agreement that means he can stay at the club a little bit longer and we can position it more effectively so he can help us reach our goals.
"A lot will depend on Ryan and what he wants to do. Hopefully we can accommodate his wishes and find a place where we’re both happy.”
The Hibees return to action on Friday night looking to put back to back defeats against Dundee United and Celtic behind them when they face St Johnstone.
The capital club will be part of history as VAR comes into play for the first time.
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