Ryan Porteous can be a £20million Premier League star after he leaves Hibs as Lee Johnson talks up transfer potential
LEE JOHNSON is convinced Ryan Porteous can be a £20MILLION star if he heads south next month.
The Hibs defender, whose contract is up in the summer, is NOT willing to sign a new deal.
And that has sparked a scramble for his services from clubs all over Europe.
SunSport revealed last week SIX English Championship sides are keen along with others in Italy and France.
And Hibees gaffer Johnson, who has bossed Bristol City, Barnsley and Sunderland, said: “There’s still a lot for Ryan to improve on. He has bags of potential. But my teams have sold Lloyd Kelly from Bristol City to Bournemouth for £17.5million rising to £22m and Adam Webster from Bristol City to Brighton for £20m rising to £25m.
“We got £3.5m for Marc Roberts from Barnsley to Birmingham after he signed for a free and £5.5m for Alfie Mawson from Barnsley to Swansea City — we signed him for £60,000.
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“So I have a lot of experience with this type of player.
“Ryan is right up there with Webster, Kelly and Mawson in terms of his age and potential.
“They all had flaws in their game.
“I would personally prefer to see him go down south. It would get him in a different market and out the way.
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“I like him and if I didn’t think he was any good I’d be happy for him to be playing for one of our rivals.
“You have seen the success of Josh Doig out in Italy.
“That’s a good marker for Italian clubs to look at the Scottish market.
“The English Championship has always been hot on the Scottish market as has the Premier League.
“You look at the likes of Scott McKenna who went down to England and did really well.”
Hibs stopper Porteous saw his profile rise when he shone on his international debut in Scotland’s crucial Nations League clash against Ukraine.
His performance in the 0-0 draw helped the Scots clinch promotion to the competition’s top tier.
Rangers had been linked with a January move for Scotland defender Porto.
New Ibrox boss Michael Beale is desperate to sign new faces in the transfer window. But Easter Road boss Johnson insists he is not aware of any interest from the Ibrox club.
He said: “No, I have spoken to him on a regular basis about potential options and he’s asked my advice on various clubs, Championship clubs, foreign clubs and stuff like that.
“But, honestly, Rangers is not one of the ones that have come up.
“I’m not saying that doesn’t mean they’re in for him.
“But maybe they have not been as prominent as some of the other clubs.
“Would it surprise me? No, because he’s a very good player.
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“But as far as I am aware there has been no official contact from any club.
“But it’s early days, a lot of people will be getting their ducks in a row and houses in order before they make moves this January.”
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