Derby County have been linked with a move for Ross County striker Ronan Hale but any club wanting to sign the former Blues trainee will have to pay up
Ronan Hale(Image: Russell Cheyne/Shutterstock)
Ross County chairman Roy MacGregor has made it clear to clubs interested in signing Ronan Hale that they’ll need to put forward at least £1m before the club will even consider letting the striker go.
Derby County, along with several other Championship clubs, have been linked with the Northern Ireland striker who netted 17 goals in the Scottish Premier League last season.
Despite his impressive goal tally, Hale couldn’t save County from relegation, which has put numerous clubs on alert amid rumours about his future.
The forward hasn’t given any assurances that he’ll continue playing football in Scotland next season, which is likely to fuel further speculation.
Hale was a teen sensation when Birmingham City signed him from the Crusaders youth set-up. He scored 28 goals in 23 games for the Under 18s and Under 21s but in truth never looked like cracking the first team. In 2019 his contract was cancelled by mutual consent.
In the end he returned to the Crusaders and also played for Larne and Cliftonville where he scored plenty of goals
That prompted Ross County to give him a go in the Scottish Premiership where he did well enough to earn his first international cap.
However, MacGregor has warned that neither Hale (26) nor any of the Staggies’ other stars will be leaving on a budget, reports Derbyshire Live.
“We invested in Ronan as a replacement for Simon Murray, and if you were to tell me that he would end up with 17 goals in his first season in the Premiership, I would have bitten both of your hands off.
“Scoring 17 goals in a team that was struggling to find the back of the net was a massive achievement. He’s just earned a cap for Northern Ireland, which raises his profile, but he’s under a long-term contract to be a Ross County player.
“We support players who want to improve, but he is under contract and he will be reporting for pre-season training as part of the group that is aiming to win the Championship.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if there is interest in more of our players, but the way that we do our business is that these players are under contract with us, and we look after our players.
Get the latest Blues headlines sent straight to your phone
BirminghamLive has its very own Birmingham City WhatsApp community to deliver the latest headlines straight to your phone. Just click this link to receive daily Blues content and breaking news. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. Click on the name at the top of your screen while in WhatsApp and click ‘Exit Group’. Read our Privacy Notice.
“If we have invested in players, they are assets to the football club and there are no clauses in their contracts.
“Players won’t get picked off. Take Simon Murray for example, we had a really good relationship with him, and he was under contract so we could have made life difficult for him, but we accepted that his personal life was more important than him scoring goals for us.
“We worked a deal with a number of clubs, and we got the best deal, and the money that we got bought Akil Wright, Ronan Hale and Noah Chilvers. That’s the way we trade.
“Nobody will get pinched. If someone comes in and offers us £1 million for Ronan Hale, we’ll have to consider it, but they will have to push the boat.”