Hibs boss rubbishes speculation that club have put a price on Martin Boyle's head

Jack Ross in the market for two new players
Martin Boyle has been watched by Celtic and Stoke CityMartin Boyle has been watched by Celtic and Stoke City
Martin Boyle has been watched by Celtic and Stoke City

Jack Ross has insisted Hibs have no interest in selling Martin Boyle and haven’t put any price on the Australian internationalist’s head.The head coach isn’t surprised at the speculation surrounding Boyle, fuelled by the presence of Celtic’s head of recruitment Nick Hammond and Stoke City manager Michael O’Neill as he had a say in both Hibs goals as they defeated Hamilton in midweek.But Ross, who revealed he hopes to make two signings before the transfer window closes on Friday night, was adamant there has been “absolutely no contact” from any other club and described the speculation as “having grown arms and legs” over the last ten days.One report claimed the Capital club were prepared to play hard ball and dismiss any offers of less than £1.5 million for Boyle, who has six goals and five assists in his past 13 games, but Ross said: “That’s nonsense and it hasn’t come from Hibs.“As far as I’m concerned, that should not worry anyone that supports the club. It’s different if we release a statement saying ‘this is what we are looking for’. But that’s one newspaper report and we’ve no interest in selling Martin and have not put any sort of value on him.“I’m really relaxed about it because I believe Martin will continue to play here until such a time comes that the club believes they have an offer which is worth it.”Boyle still has 18 months of his contract to run but Ross believes the 26-year-old is happy at Easter Road, enjoying his football and looking forward to “exciting times” at the Copa America this summer with the Aussies.He said: “If a player becomes unhappy or has an interest in moving, then the dynamics change and they change very quickly. Players often get a really tough time for that, but it’s just part of the job, part of their life.“But Martin is happy here and enjoying his football. There are lots of ifs, buts and maybes that will get spoken about but, because of the type of character he is, I don’t think he pays too much attention.“Similarly. I’ve gained enough experience now that I don’t worry so much about these things. I’ve lost good players before – my top players – and have had to deal with that and, equally, I’ve had speculation about my players that didn’t amount to anything.“I just get on with the job in hand and Martin is doing the same thing. Playing regularly and playing well is hugely important for Martin as we approach the summer.”However, having said that, Ross admitted he’ll be happy when the window closes by which time he hopes to get two players – one at either end of the pitch in – signed, his squad having become a “little light” following the departures of Oli Shaw, Josh Vela and Chris Maxwell and long-term injuries to Stevie Mallan, Ryan Porteous and Jason Naismith.“The worst-case scenario is you lose someone very late in the window,” he said. “I had that at Sunderland with Josh Maja and it’s the worst thing that can happen because then it becomes a bit frantic and you might need to take a gamble.“At the moment our squad is a little light with injuries and letting people go, but at least we have time to find replacements. I don’t worry about the transfer window too much until the last few days because the last thing you want is to be scrambling about.“We are trying to get two in. We have players identified and are working towards that. They are not done yet but I’d hope we’ll have something done soon because we’ve gone from being quite chunky in numbers to a little bit light.”