John McGlynn: We could still lose Marius Zaliukas

HEARTS manager John McGlynn is braced for the possibility that he could lose captain Marius Zaliukas in the next few weeks – even though the British transfer window is now closed.

Swiss club Young Boys Berne have made their interest in the Lithuanian known and although they have indicated they would prefer to make their move at the end of the season when Zaliukas becomes a free agent, the Swiss transfer window remains open until 15 
February.

While most of Europe’s main leagues have now entered a shutdown in terms of transfer activity, the Russian and Ukrainian windows are also among those that remain open until the end of February.

Zaliukas has regularly been linked with a move to Russia, and a nominal offer would likely be enough to secure the services of the captain, whose value to Hearts over the remainder of his contract is diminished by the fact he is suspended for their biggest match, the League Cup final against St Mirren in March.

“One window closes, another stays open,” says McGlynn. “The lad [Young Boys’ scout Stephane Chapuisat] has come out and said he’s got interest [in Zaliukas]. We just need to wait and see. I’m not going to be 
losing any sleep over it.”

Zaliukas would be keen to at least see out his contract at Tynecastle, but McGlynn admits it will be the powerbrokers at Hearts who ultimately decide if any bid is accepted. “I am not the financial director and I don’t know the state of play [financially] as we speak, but I still think there’s an acceptance that we’re not totally out of the woods.”

The manager admits the possibility of losing a player