Town are one of a number of Championship clubs interested in Hibernian midfielder or striker Dean Shiels, according to reports in Scotland. Bristol City and Plymouth are also said to be watching the 23-year-old.

Shiels, who joined the Hibees from Arsenal in 2004, is out of contract at Easter Road in the summer and would be available for a relatively small fee.

In the summer, Hibs boss Mixu Paatelainen said he was keen to tie the former Arsenal trainee to a longer deal: "Dean has done really well since I came in, he's scored regularly and has played fantastically well.

"He is a player that I like, there's no question about that and I want to keep our best players. But Dean still has a year left on his contract so there is no rush at the moment."

In 2006, Magherafelt-born Shiels, who has won seven caps for Northern Ireland, underwent surgery to remove his already blind right eye. The eye had been damaged in a domestic accident when Shiels was eight and had been causing him headaches.

Shiels, who has made 100 starts and 42 sub appearances for Hibs, scoring 29 times, was recently in the news when St Mirren fans verbally abused him during a game regarding his disability, the Love Street club subsequently apologising for the incident.

While the Blues have more than their fair share of midfielders at present, it's likely that one or two will be on their way in January with perhaps the odd addition to the ranks coming in.

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