Dundee managing director John Nelms says it will take a 'compelling' sum of money for the club to part with Luke McCowan.
The 26-year-old midfielder is a top target for Hibs this summer, with Dens Park bosses already rejecting two offers for their captain, while a third is understood to still be under consideration. McCowan, in the final year of his contract with the Dark Blues, has also been linked with Premiership champions Celtic, and EFL League One side Bolton Wanderers were knocked back with a bid earlier in the transfer window.
McCowan has so far not signed a new deal offered to him by Dundee, but does not appear to be agitating for a move, with Nelms describing the player as 'a credit to himself'. But while he did not rule out a departure, Nelms insists Dundee are under no financial pressure to sell, and that it will require a significant offer to convince them to do so before next Friday's deadline.
"Luke's a credit to himself," Nelms told The Warm-Up. "Luke's our captain, and is handling all the attention really, really well. He says 'I am a Dundee player, I am the captain, I have a responsibility and this is what I do'. Whatever happens, happens.
"He's been a credit to himself. The money has to be compelling. It's not like we're selling players to keep the lights on, we're investing in the organisation and the fans are investing in the organisation.
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"We have to be very careful of how and why we do it. So, it has to be compelling; it can't just be 'a couple hundred grand here, a couple hundred grand there'. It's got to be the right time, and we're talking kids from 16 years old all the way up - what is the right time for them to go? What do their families want out of this? A multitude of questions.
"It does look to the fanbase that it's quite black and white, but it's anything but."
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