Strømsgodset are in talks with Hibs over a permanent move for Elias Melkersen following the striker's successful loan spell at the Marienlyst Stadion. 

The Norwegian Under-21 cap returned to his homeland in August, midway through the domestic campaign, with Godset seeking to avoid relegation from the Eliteserien. With Melkersen’s help, they avoided dropping into the OBOS-Ligaen; the former Bødo/Glimt youngster hitting four goals in 12 games as Jørgen Isnes eventually led the Drammen outfit to a seventh-place finish. The head coach expressed a wish to extend Melkersen's stay, having lost attacking duo Jonatan Braut Brunes to OH Leuven in Belgium, and Tobias Fjeld Gulliksen to Bødo/Glimt during the summer for a combined total of more than NOK 50 million (around £3.6 million). 

READ MORE - Nick Montgomery on what Elias Melkersen can bring to Hibs

The hope was that Melkersen could find form in Norway and return to Hibs for the second half of the season firing on all cylinders, with Nick Montgomery saying last month: “I’ve spoken to Elias and watched his games and he looks like a very, very good young player. I know he had a tough start at Hibs - he was probably thrown in at the deep end when he wasn’t quite ready - but I think the way that we play, with two strikers, he’ll definitely be an asset for us moving forward.”

But Godset are keen to make the move permanent and it's understood Hibs would be open to letting Melkersen go, provided they can scoop a significant transfer fee for the attacker - and if a deal can be agreed then a sell-on clause will almost certainly be included.

READ MORE - Hibs potential January transfer target Musa Touré scouted

Melkersen was signed in the early days of Shaun Maloney's tenure, and signed a contract at Easter Road until the summer of 2026. He scored twice on his first start, a 2-1 Scottish Cup quarter-final victory over Motherwell at Fir Park, but didn’t register any league goals despite finding the net in a League Cup group game against Clyde and friendly matches against Burton Albion and Norwich City, and he was shipped out on loan to Dutch side Sparta Rotterdam last season, making just two substitute appearances totalling nine minutes for the Eredivisie outfit.

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He featured 20 times under previous Hibs manager Lee Johnson but started fewer than half of those games. He expressed a wish to force his way into the team when speaking after netting in a pre-season friendly victory over Edinburgh City in early July, but after starting in the 2-1 Europa Conference League defeat by Inter Club d'Escaldes in Andorra, he was an unused sub in the return leg and only featured off the bench in the 3-1 home win against Luzern in the next round. He played once in the league under Johnson this season as a late replacement for Lewis Stevenson in the 2-1 defeat by Motherwell at Fir Park before returning to his homeland.