Jim Goodwin admits St Mirren are now an outside bet to bag former Accies defender Alex Gogic.
The Buddies boss was keen to bring the in-demand 26-year-old to Paisley as he rebuilds his side ahead of his second Premiership campaign in charge.
But the Saints gaffer has revealed he believes the club will likely be unable to compete with the other teams now jostling for his signature, with Jack Ross’ Hibs also credited with an interest in the Cypriot as well as clubs in England and abroad.
Goodwin told Express Sport: “We spoke to Alex, as a number of clubs did.
“He had a fantastic season for Hamilton last year, but even before that I felt he was always a standout for them.
“Alex has offers from England and abroad and it is unlikely that one will happen now as he will probably be outwith our price bracket.
“But we are looking at that type of player. I need someone who is disciplined who can sit in front of the back four and break things up and be that destroyer which I don’t think we had last year."
The Buddies are working on a number of targets this week, including former St Johnstone and Aberdeen defender Joe Shaughnessy, out-of-contract Notts County midfielder Mitch Rose and freed Watford striker Alex Jakubiak, who enjoyed a successful loan spell in Paisley last season.
Goodwin added: “We have a lot of really nice footballers but we need to get the blend right.
“That’s what I have looked at over the last six months to identify what was missing last season. We have good players but we need aggression in the team too.”
