Kieron Bowie’s exit from Hibs was confirmed last week, with the young Scotland cap joining Hellas Verona in Italy’s Serie A.

It took a reported £6m fee, external to shift him from Leith, with more money flowing to Easter Road in potential add-ons, but Bowie’s numbers pale in comparison to Maswanhise.

“If Bowie, with nine goals, is going for £6m, there’s no way Motherwell will say ‘we’ll accept £2.5m-£3m’,” former Motherwell captain Stephen Craigan said. “Not a chance in a million years.

“He can play wide, he can play centre-forward. And what he’s shown is that he can score all types of goals. That’ll be the gauge, somewhere close to that [£6m mark], if someone wants to pinch him before the window shuts.”

Craigan also explained there are other circumstances which suggest Motherwell’s hand will not be forced in the coming days when it comes to their in-demand striker.

“There’s a couple of things as well,” he said. “The Lennon Miller [who was sold to Udinese in the summer] money, there’s still a good chunk of that there. If he makes progress, they get more.

“Crowds at Fir Park are up by 1,500-2,000 at home. There’s plenty of money sitting about, Motherwell aren’t desperate to sell their prized asset.

“There’s more benefits to keeping Maswanhise until the summer. If everything progresses as it has been, his value goes up more.”