Sheffield Wednesday have joined Luton Town, Millwall and Stoke City in the race to recruit Hibernian centre-back Ryan Porteous ahead of the January transfer window, according to a report from the Daily Record.

The 23-year-old has been the subject of interest from England before, with Gary Rowett's Lions previously attempting to lure him away from the Scottish Premiership side last year but failing in their quest to do so.

His current side have made him an offer to remain where he is - but the defender is yet to put pen to paper on that extension and could potentially be recruited for free next summer.

He could even secure a move to an English side in January via a pre-contract deal, though that would mean he would spend the remainder of the season with his current team before moving on.

There's certainly no shortage of interest in his services at this stage, with Stoke believed to be preparing an offer with fellow Scotsman Alex Neil being alerted about his services ahead of the winter.

This isn't the first time they have been interested in securing a pre-contract deal for a player based in Scotland, with John Souttar being linked with a switch to the bet365 Stadium last year before deciding to move to Rangers.

The Potters will face a considerable amount of competition in their quest to get him tied down to a deal though, with Luton, Millwall and Darren Moore's Owls also believed to be interested.

The Verdict:

Making 19 competitive appearances already this season, he certainly has the ability to be a regular starter in the EFL if he decides to move south of the border and this is probably one reason why many clubs are interested in him.

Not only has he been an asset in defence - but also in the final third with two goals and one assist to his name during 2022/23 thus far - making him a solid package for any side looking to secure his services.

At 23, there's still plenty of time for him to improve and he could even be sold on for a decent amount in the future, so this feels like a low-risk signing that could end up having big rewards for a club.

Although second-tier sides are interested in him, Wednesday shouldn't be ruled out of the race either because they have managed to lure some accomplished players to Hillsborough during their time in the third tier.

But a move to the second tier may be better at this stage of his career because it probably wouldn't feel like a step up for the defender if he was to ply his trade at the third level.