SPFL club knock back £500,000 bid for striker as EFL Championship side join race
Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
ENGLISH Championship side Portsmouth are set to join the race for in-demand St Johnstone striker Makenzie Kirk.
Saints have already booted out a £500,000 bid from Peterborough for the Northern Ireland U21 star.
Sign up for Scottish Sun
newsletter
Sign up
1
Makenzie Kirk is attracting serious interest this summer
Credit: Kenny Ramsay
Kirk is inside the final 12 months of his deal so clubs are circling, with Bristol Rovers also keen.
But Posh are now set to jump to the head of the queue with an offer which they hope will tempt Saints' American owners to sell.
The McDiarmid Park club have goalkeeper Toby Steward on loan from Portsmouth so there are already links open between the sides.
Kirk joined from Hearts last season and scored 11 goals during his first campaign in Perth.
He has four in seven this season, despite having been benched by Simo Valakari for the last three matches.
Saints chief Adam Webb is desperate for his club to get back to the Premiership at the first attempt so is reluctant to part with a player they believe can fire them back up.
But Portsmouth joining the hunt could end up seeing them faced with a bid they can't turn down for their prize asset.
Meanwhile, Jens Berthel Askou hailed his ice-cool Motherwell side for scrapping their emotions to see off St Johnstone.
Lukas Fadinger's extra-time goal secured the impressive Steelmen a Premier Sports Cup quarter-final tie against Aberdeen.
Askou has transformed Well's playing style, and was delighted to see them stick to their intense passing game and be rewarded.
St Johnstone players spotted in disbelief as they beg fans for reassurance they are safe from relegation
He said: 'It seems natural to the players now. They don't think too much about it any more.
'They don't react emotionally when they are not successful or lose the ball. They just react instantly to win it back or block a shot.
'There are some emotions which are good to have, but some which are not the most productive with the style of play we want to implement.
'Fear and frustration, for example. Anger too. If we want to play the way we want to we need optimism, positivity and bravery.
'Those are the emotions we try to instil in the players and push, then there are some we try to tone down.
'We can't avoid them, but we try to work on how we turn them down and use the ones we need.
'It's about being more effective as a team. It's been a while since we lost a game so there's a good feeling.'
Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Belfast Telegraph
15 minutes ago
- Belfast Telegraph
Linfield boss David Healy outlines main reason Larne let slip League crown… and it's not fixture chaos
Linfield manager David Healy says he believes that Irish League sides can still reach the group stages of major European competition and challenge for the Premiership title despite Larne's struggles in the 2024/25 season.
Scottish Sun
15 minutes ago
- Scottish Sun
‘She regrets playing with me' – Venus Williams' doubles partner makes heartbreaking quip after linking up with legend
The tennis star also opened up on having an A-list athlete sitting courtside at her matches WILL POWER 'She regrets playing with me' – Venus Williams' doubles partner makes heartbreaking quip after linking up with legend HAILEY BAPTISTE joked that Venus Williams regretted playing with her while reflecting on her recent doubles run with the tennis icon. Baptiste, 23, partnered up with Williams in what was the 45-year-old's return to action following a 16-month lay-off. 3 Venus Williams partnered Hailey Baptiste in Washington Credit: Getty 3 Baptiste, 23, opened up on her incredible experience Credit: YouTube/ WTA The pair defeated Eugenie Bouchard and Clervie Ngounoue before narrowly falling to No2 seeds Taylor Townsend and Zhang Shuai. Baptiste and Williams' matches attracted huge crowds, with even NBA superstar Kevin Durant pulling up to watch. Ahead of the US Open, Baptiste caught up with pal Frances Tiafoe over coffee. The pair have plenty in common, having both honed their talents at the Junior Tennis Champions Center at Maryland Park as kids. During their conversation, posted on the ATP's social media channels, Baptiste reflected on the surreal experience of playing with American icon Williams. The world No51 said: "It was insane. From the moment I heard that we were going to play and it was set up, I was like, that's all I can think about. I'm about to play with a legend." When Tiafoe, whose twin brother Franklin coaches Baptiste, pointed out the nerves that come with playing alongside such an illustrious partner, she added: "Every ball I miss I'm like 'she regrets playing with me'." As Tiafoe howled with laughter, Baptiste went on: "She's like 'I'm wasting my time'. I was obviously crazy nervous. Venus and Serena are obviously the people I looked up to my entire life. BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK "They pack arenas bro, standing room only. Walking onto court that day, on our first match. The noise, I never... "Especially for doubles, we're talking about doubles. That was at Citi Open, it could have been Ashe the way people sounded, it was nuts." Venus Williams confirms engagement to actor partner as she rolls back years to win first match in two years Asked about Durant's attendance, Baptiste admitted: "I was so locked in on Venus, like I can't even think about KD. "I heard it, like I heard people start screaming, 'KD, KD'. He was into it though, clapping and everything. I was so focused on Venus." Williams stunned Peyton Stearns in the singles even at the Citi Open, beating the world No35 6-3 6-4 in front of a raucous crowd. The tour veteran has been awarded a wildcard for the upcoming US Open - 28 years on from reaching the final on her debut back in 1997. Williams is also set to take part in next week's glitzy revamped mixed doubles event. The legendary tennis icon will partner fellow American Reilly Opelka. Baptiste, meanwhile, will also be in singles action in New York. The Washington-born star will hope to win a singles match at the US Open for the first time.
Edinburgh Reporter
an hour ago
- Edinburgh Reporter
Mulligan's late strike was one to savour
Josh Mulligan, step forward. You provided one of the few pieces of real quality in an eminently forgettable Premier Sports Cup clash between Hibs and Livingston at the Home of the Set Fare Arena. The 22-year-old picked up the ball on the left just outside the Livi box and smashed the ball into the net. A superb strike from the versatile player who only joined Hibs in the close season. He decided not to renew his contract with his home town club and moved south to the Capital. He now looks like a quality capture by Hibs boss David Gray who described the performance of his men as 'very professional'. They now move forward to a mouth-watering, quarter-final tie at Ibrox against Rangers but first they continue their European odyssey with a midweek home clash with Legia Warszawa on Thursday (20.00) in the Europa Conference League, play-off, first-leg. For the visit to West Lothian, the Easter Road side made six changes from the squad which accounted for Partizan Belgrade on aggregate on a heady night last week, resting standout striker, Kieron Bowie. If that was a bruising, energy-sapping battle, it went into extra time, then this was round two, a highly-physical clash with the West Lothian club. It will have left scars. Bodies landed on the deck regularly, leading to staccato play. The game lacking any fluency and cried out for somebody to take charge of the ball and start distributing passes around the newly-laid, artificial pitch. Nobody, sadly, put their head above the parapet, unfortunately, for the 4, 696 fans at the sun-kissed arena where the thermometer registered over 20c. Sadly, this was not, in my humble opinion, a good advert for Scottish football. Grey felt his men had control of the game. They had, but there were precious few occasions when Livingston goalkeeper, Jerome Prior, was really tested. Busy Josh Campbell did fire a vicious left-foot shot from the left of the box which Prior dealt with at full stretch in the first period, but robust challenges prevented constructive play with Mo Sylla and Campbell clashing on several occasions in midfield battles. Finally, the deadlock was broken and as the clock ticked tediously towards the break, Tongolese striker, Thibault Llidje, struck. The 24-year-old, who Gray said he is being 'patient' with Klidje, who previously played for Bordeaux and Luzern. He emerged from a ruck of players near The Lions goal line to celebrate. Martin Boyle assisted. The break came as a welcome relief, and the same pattern emerged at the re-start. Crunching tackles, little constructive play, shots being blocked, including one from substitute Nicky Cadden. Livingston huffed and puffed, but failed to blow Hibs' house down. However, they began to get their act together, forcing Hibs back into their own half as they mounted a late charge. Scotland defender Grant Hanley was prominent, using his positional sense and his head on several occasions to snuff out dangerous moves, and Kanayo Megwa had been a strong presence throughout. Chances were at a premium for the home side, with debutant goalkeeper, Raphael Sallinger, having a comfortable afternoon between the Hibs posts. If looked as if Klidje's strike would separate the teams as the final whistle loomed when Hibs broke and Mulligan took centre stage with three minutes of regular time remaining. It was a goal to savour, and the Hibs fans certainly did, singing 'That's the way I like it'. Livi did have a late chance but Zak Rudden failed to find the net after a free-kick from substitute Connor McLennan and Hibs countered quickly and could, possibly should, have added to their tally had they made more of a four-on-two break from inside their own half. Sportingly, Livingston manager, David Martindale, conceded that Hibs deserved to progress, but added: 'We played some good football.' Of course, Livingston were promoted from the play-offs last season, and he did concede that the West Lothian club had not faced a club from the top six in the William Hill Premiership for some time. He said: 'There is a difference between the top six and the bottom six (in the Premiership).' He's right, there is, on this evidence, but Livingston will learn from this. They will have to learn fast as it is Celtic Park for them next Saturday (15.00) on William Hill Premiership business. Like this: Like Related
