Exile Ryan Stevenson may play for Hearts again, says agent

The former Chelsea trainee effectively went on strike just over a month ago in protest at the wages saga at the club. But the 27-year-old’s agent Kenny Moyes believes his client could yet pull on a maroon jersey before the end of the season, even though Stevenson is considering pre-contract options from a host of clubs south of the border.

Crawley manager Steve Evans has revealed he is in talks aimed at securing an agreement to sign the Scotland squad player in the summer after the League Two promotion hopefuls had a £20,000 offer turned down by the Edinburgh club last week.

Since then, two other unnamed English sides have expressed an interested in initiating pre-contract discussions, with Hearts not willing to sell Stevenson for anything less than £100,000.

Moyes, whose client is said to be attracting interesting from Bristol City, Hibs, Aberdeen, St Mirren and St Johnstone, said: “If he was a to sign a pre-contract, I would expect Ryan to be back training and making himself available for selection with Hearts, although there is no real rush with regards to getting something sorted out with regards to a pre-contract.

“Crawley are very keen on Ryan and want to sign him. It’s a great set-up they have down there. They are keen to speak to him regarding a pre-contract and we’ll see what develops on that. From the weekend there have been another couple of clubs in England that have shown an interest.”

Hearts, meanwhile, have been linked with moves for Skonto Riga pair Renars Rode and Armands Petersons. They are said to have made contact with the Latvian top-flight outfit, even though Skonto would be seeking a transfer fee.

Defender Rode helped the club land the league title in 2010 in his maiden season after joining from JFK Olimps. Skonto, managed by former Southampton striker Marian Pahars, are said to be willing to let the pair go out on trial.