Northern Ireland international Ronan Hale is pushing for a January exit from Ross County – but the Scottish club are reluctant to part ways with their talisman after rejecting a bid worth £200k from League Two side Gillingham.

Hale, who joined County from Cliftonville in 2024, scored 14 league goals in his maiden Scottish Premiership campaign last term but his exploits couldn’t stop the Staggies suffering relegation.

The 27-year-old has continued to impress in Scotland’s second-tier, netting seven times in 18 league appearances for a Ross County side sitting bottom of the table.

His form has alerted attention from a host of clubs in England with Daily Record reporting Gillingham returned over the weekend with a third bid which could have reached £200,000.

placeholder image — Northern Ireland's Ronan Hale is a wanted man this month. (Photo by David Maginnis/Pacemaker Press)

Hale is understood to have put in a transfer request with his desire to depart the Dingwall club this month, but County chairman Roy MacGregor is keen to keep hold of their top goalscorer amid a fight against relegation.

The former Larne striker was absent from Stuart Kettlewell’s squad for Friday’s 2-0 league win over Partick Thistle, but the Staggies boss insisted it was because Hale was ill, not anything to do with his future.

League One duo Wigan Athletic and Stevenage alongside fourth-tier Salford City have also reportedly expressed an interest in acquiring Hale’s services.

A positive transfer this month would undoubtedly boost Hale’s chances of earning a recall to Northern Ireland’s squad ahead of their World Cup semi-final play-off against Italy in March.

He made his international debut in June after switching allegiance from the Republic of Ireland and was an unused substitute in Northern Ireland’s opening two qualifying games.

However, Hale missed out on selection across the next two windows with the likes of Jamie Reid, Dion Charles and Josh Magennis preferred.

“For Ronan, it’s a massive jump from the Scottish Championship to this level of football,” said manager Michael O’Neill in October. “I think the other strikers are ahead of those two strikers (Hale and Dale Taylor) at this minute in time.

“We’ve had Ronan in since March. There was the protracted eligibility thing that took time.

“I was disappointed for him that he didn’t get a move in the summer. I certainly think that would have helped him. He knew that himself but, look, we continue to watch him.”

O’Neill could have attacking options when it comes to selecting his next squad.

Lee Bonis has been in fine form for Chesterfield since joining the League Two outfit last summer, scoring seven goals in 25 appearances – six of those have came across his last nine outings.

The former Larne striker was named December’s PFA League Two Fans’ Player of the Month, seeing off competition from Hakeeb Adelakun (Cheltenham Town), Idris Odutayo (Bromley), James Gibbons (Cambridge United), Kelly N'Mai (Salford City) and Aden Flint (Walsall).