Hearts to sign former Reading winger Zidan Akers in January

Hearts will sign former Reading winger Zidan Akers in January after agreeing contract terms to bring him to Scotland.

Zidan Akers scored for Hearts U20s as a trialist. Picture: Zidan Akers/Twitter

The 17-year-old Englishman has been training at Riccarton for several weeks and scored for Hearts Under-20s against St Mirren on Monday. Akers will formally sign once an international transfer certificate has been granted by Fifa, which cannot happen until he turns 18 next month. Hearts will then register him with the Scottish Football Association when the transfer window opens in January and he will join the club’s under-20 squad.

Meanwhile, Hears owner Ann Budge has confirmed that demolition work has begun at Tynecastle as the club prepares the way for work to begin on a new main stand.

Budge told the Hearts website: “Our plan is to have the entire area in front of the existing main stand, including Tynecastle Nursery School, completely demolished by 23 December, with the new works, beginning with putting in place the new main girder truss, scheduled to begin on 4 January.

“Once the demolition is complete, a panoramic view of the existing main stand will be revealed...a view that has not been seen for over 100 years.”

Fans will have the chance to see the unobstructed view in the final two home games of the year.