HIBERNIAN were yesterday linked with a possible move for former Rangers striker Jonatan Johansson as manager and fellow Finn Mixu Paatelainen brushed aside fresh speculation surrounding the future of top scorer Steven Fletcher.
Reports have suggested that Alex McLeish will move for Fletcher – who has already attracted attention from Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barcelona – should Birmingham City lose Scotland talisman James McFadden this summer.
Fletcher is tied to Hi
bs until 2013 after signing a new contract at Easter Road in December but both halves of the Old Firm, as well as Spurs, Newcastle, Bolton, Manchester City, Hull City, Middlesbrough and Portsmouth, have been credited with an interest in the 21-year-old.
Paatelainen recently insisted the much-fancied Scotland cap would still be at the club for the coming campaign and he has heard nothing to change his mind since.
And, while rumours surrounding Fletcher's stay at Easter Road persist, so do those connecting Paatelainen with a swoop for countryman Johansson.
Hibs are thought to have had a £150,000 bid for the Finland international rejected by current side Malmo during the January transfer window and stories in Sweden are again linking the one-time £3.25 million Charlton Athletic signing with a return to the SPL.
Paatelainen yesterday refused to be drawn on the stories, and those associating Clayton Donaldson, Alan O'Brien and Yves Makalambay with possible transfers away from the club, but he appeared to leave the door open for the possible arrival of friend Johansson.
He said: "There was speculation about him in January and it has just come back again.
"Jonatan Johansson is at Malmo and has a contract until the end of the season.
"If something happens or it is possible for it to happen then we'll let everyone know, but at the moment he is at Malmo and there is nothing happening.
"These stories are always coming up, about Fletcher and now Johansson, one is coming and one is going. People are saying Donaldson is going, O'Brien is going, Makalambay is leaving. There is so much speculation, which is always the case.
"People need to be entertained when there are no matches, so they start talking and spreading wild rumours.
"Before anything happens they are just rumours and I don't think people should believe everything they hear."
Meanwhile, Paatelainen has indicated players will only be allowed to leave the club when their replacements have been lined up.
With the team in action on Sunday week in the Intertoto Cup, probably against Swedish side Elfsborg, the Finn has confessed that any transfer deals may take a while longer to thrash out. He said: "There will be some players leaving and hopefully a few coming in as well. But it will take a little more time and until we know exactly who is coming in we don't really want to be letting players go."
Paatelainen also revealed that goalkeeper Zibi Malkowski is back training with Hibs and may yet be given a chance to stake a claim for a place next season.
Malkowski, who still has a year left on his Hibs contract – is back training with his team-mates at East Mains after his loan deal with Inverness expired.
Makalambay may be included in Belgium's squad for the Beijing Olympics at the end of July, a tournament which could keep him out of the country for up to a month, and the experienced Pole Malkowksi – who has spent spells on loan with Gretna and Inverness in the past two seasons – may be drafted in as cover.
"Zibi is back with us. He is our player, he is under contract with us and has fitted back in with the rest of the players in training," said Paatelainen.
The full article contains 631 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
