- EXCLUSIVE with Mark Hendry
Benjamin Kimpioka has been at the centre of some ‘will he or won’t he?’ drama in the January transfer window.
The Swede has looked on his way out after Kimpioka snubbed St Johnstone contract talks with his current deal expiring this summer.
Saints‘ top scorer has been in and out of the team recently with his form wavering while his future seemed uncertain, Makenzie Kirk taking his place in the side after his move from Hearts.
Kimpioka looked to be on his way out in January after Belgians OH Leuven made their move with a £200,000 bid ahead of a possible reunion with his former Sunderland boss Chris Coleman.
But that fell apart and the 24-year-old remains at McDiarmid Park for now as we head into the final hours of the transfer window.
Three bids for St Johnstone’s Kimpioka fall apart
Leuven weren’t the only club to be taking a look and it had been reported Kimpioka had interest from around Europe, including in Israel and Switzerland.
Not the Old Firm can now reveal that THREE bids for the player have fallen apart.
Leuven walked away from their deal after talks between the striker and Coleman fell apart.
But a second Belgian side, Beerschot, were also in the mix before finding themselves rejected by Kimpioka. The top-flight side are managed by Liverpool icon Dirk Kuyt and were set to pay around £150,000.
Dutch top flight outfit Fortuna Sittard were the others to submit an offer but that was knocked back by the Perth side.
Jack Sanders has completed his move from St Johnstone to MK Dons after Not the Old Firm revealed interest from England in Sanders.
While we also told how Russian side Arsenal Tula were looking at Andre Raymond, the Saints left-back.
What does the future hold for Kimpioka?
It is looking more and more likely that Kimpioka will remain a St Johnstone player beyond the window, given the amount of deals that have fallen through.
He’s not currently getting a game in Simo Valakari’s team though, and if that continues until the end of the season he might just reduce his chances of a decent club and deal for next season.
He certainly doesn’t seem to have a future at the Premiership side either after showing no inclination of signing a new deal.
And what will fans make of the way he has conducted himself and turned down moves that could have earned them six figures?