Martin Boyle: Why Hibs are front of the queue to sign former Celtic target - and why return is unlikely

Hibs fan’s interest was piqued when it was confirmed that Al-Faisaly had been relegated from the Saudi Professional League.

In January, the club sold its talisman Martin Boyle to the Saudi Arabia side in a deal worth £3million.

Ever since, Hibs have missed the winger's presence on and off the pitch.So much so that he finished as the club’s top scorer by five goals despite missing the second half of the season.

He demonstrated his quality in the Premier Sports Cup semi-final win over Rangers, netting a hat-trick.

Al-Faisaly’s relegation has increased speculation over the player's future despite only moving earlier this year. The Saudi club remain in the AFC Champions League but don’t play in that competition again until February 2023.

According to the Daily Record, however, the 29-year-old is keen to stay at his current club and help them win promotion back to the top tier.

However, if Boyle was to be sold back to a British team, Hibs are in a strong position to land the fans’ favourite.

As part of the deal which took the Australian international to Saudi Arabia, Hibs have to be notified by Al-Fasialy of an offer from another UK side and what the offer is.

Martin Boyle has seen his team Al-Faisaly relegated from the Saudi Professional League. (Photo by Craig Williamson / SNS Group)

The danger would be if he was moved onto a team in Europe, MLS or to Australia. Boyle will not want to jeopardise his place in the Australia national team for the World Cup in Qatar later this year.

A move to the A-League could be beneficial.

On leaving Hibs, Boyle did say he hoped to return one day.

"Hopefully in the future I can return one day and repay them once again,” he said following his move. “It's a new adventure for me. I'm certainly looking forward to it. But I'm hoping that if I do come back I've still got a lot to give.

"If I'm welcomed back with open arms, there's no club in Scotland I'd rather be at. You see players leaving and coming back a lot these days, so if there's anything in the pipeline, it's one I'd definitely not turn my nose up."