Simon Murray to Hibs or Dundee transfer route opens as Ross County stance revealed

Ross County will consider selling Simon Murray this summer - once they wrap up the signing of Cliftonville striker Ronan Hale.

It emerged yesterday that Premiership rivals Hibs and Dundee both had bids rejected for the Staggies hitman, who bagged 23 goals across all competitions last season. Murray, 32, played a pivotal role in saving County from relegation and scored twice in the Premiership play-off final win over Raith Rovers.

And while County are holding firm over their star man for now, the P&J reports that their stance should soften when they clinch the signature of Irish forward Hale. Prolific frontman Hale scored 21 goals in 31 appearances last season and it's believed the 25-year-old's arrival is imminent.

And that could pave the way for Murray to leave Dingwall over the coming weeks. The newspaper states that Murray is keen to move away from the Highlands for family reasons after a year-and-a-half at the club.

Hibs boss David Gray is keen to add more firepower to his frontline, with only Dylan Vente at his disposal. Meanwhile Dundee gaffer Tony Docherty kept his cards close to his chest when asked about bringing Murray back to his hometown club last month.

He said: "Speculation. Everybody knows Simon is a Dundee boy so people put two and two together but Simon is contracted to Ross County. He had a brilliant season last season so I can understand why people would come to that but I need to respect Simon is a Ross County player."