Thursday 6 August 2015 16:55, UK
Rotherham have withdrawn from the race to sign Hibernian midfielder Scott Allan as he wants to stay in Scotland.
The Millers had been in dialogue with the Scottish Championship side for the best part of a week in a bid to land the 23-year-old, who submitted a transfer request last week after two bids from Rangers were rejected.
But Allan's representatives have informed the Millers boss that the midfielder is not prepared to uproot his young family and Evans has since walked away from the deal.
"We have removed ourselves from the process in the last couple of hours," he said at a press conference. "I spoke to his representatives earlier today and they made it clear that Scott wanted to stay in Scotland and I don't care if you're Scott Allan or Messi, if you don't want to come to Rotherham United, we don't want you to come.
"It wasn't a case of Rotherham, he didn't want to come to England. I have spoken to Alan Stubbs up at Hibs and I told him what the views were from Scott's representatives and he understands where we are.
"We had a certain value, certainly in excess of £400,000 to bring the young man here, but if he didn't want to come here we have to move on and we will do."
Rangers are thought to be a preparing a fourth bid for Allan, even though Hibs have ruled out the prospect of selling him to a rival, but Evans does not think the midfielder was necessarily holding out for a move to Ibrox.
"I don't think it's a case of whether it's Glasgow Rangers, he has a young family on the scene now and he wants to be close to them," the Millers boss added.
"His representatives told me he'd have been really keen and I'm the sort of manager he would like to play for, but he wants to stay in Scotland.
"We have to respect Hibs, who have been getting bids for players they don't want and that is always difficult. Stubbsy has been managing it well and we wish them well, Hibernian are a proper football club.
"We'd have loved to get Scotty here, but that's gone, finished, unless they come back to us."
