Hibs reject bid for Elie Youan but braced for further offers as EFL suitors circle

Hibs are braced for late transfer window interest in their forward Elie Youan after they booted out a bid from Blackburn Rovers for the Frenchman earlier this week.

Youan has numerous admirers in the English Championship and in France despite much of this season being punctuated by injury. The 25-year-old is currently sidelined by a toe complaint but after taking an injection to alleviate the pain, he should be available to play from next week onwards. Whether that will be with Hibs remains to be seen, however.

Under contract until the summer of 2026, Hibs rejected a bid from Stoke City this time last year for a player they spent close to £1 million from Swiss side St Gallen in July 2023. There was interest from clubs in Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 back in his homeland last summer before changes to the French TV rights deal depleted the spending power of potential buyers and while Youan has only scored two goals this season, his part in Hibs’ December revival has alerted interested parties once more.

Blackburn Rovers have had a bid rejected for Elie Youan by Hibs. | SNS Group

The Scotsman understands that Hibs will be looking for a seven-figure fee for Youan and that while Blackburn fell short of the Easter Road side’s valuation for the player with their initial bid, an improved offer is anticipated. Rovers sit seventh in the English Championship and their manager John Eustace revealed that he is “very close” to landing a couple of reinforcements for their promotion push, with wide players a priority. Plymouth’s Ibrahim Cissoko, who is on loan from Toulouse, has also been linked with the Ewood Park side.

There are also other clubs south of the border weighing up a move for Youan ahead of Monday’s transfer deadline, with the window due to close at 11pm. Hibs would be open to letting him leave as long as their asking price is met.

Hibs have so far only brought in one player in January after confirming the signing of Gambian midfielder Alasana Manneh from Danish side OB on Tuesday. However, should Youan move on, then Hibs would be pressed into signing a forward to compensate for his absence. Head coach David Gray currently has Martin Boyle, Dwight Gayle, Mykola Kuharevich and Kieron Bowie as his other striking options.

Able to play out wide or through the middle, Youan was Hibs’ brightest attacker last season, providing ten goals and ten assists. The start of this season was disrupted by transfer speculation and then a leg injury sustained against Queen’s Park, while the former Nantes man was subject of racial abuse from a Hibs supporter. He has scored two goals and laid on one assist in 13 matches this term.