Supporters Direct meet Hearts today to push fans’ bid

Supporters Direct will hold further talks with Hearts this morning as they try to persuade owner Vladimir Romanov to sell to a fans-led group.

Paul Goodwin, head of the government-funded initiative, will meet Hearts managing director David Southern for a fifth time. Previous discussions have been described as “positive”, and during today’s meeting it is expected Goodwin will showcase a variety of potential fan ownership strategies from around the world.

Goodwin said: “We will be looking to illustrate to the club which options could be viable. From that point it is up to Hearts to decide how they go forward, with ourselves acting as neutral guides. We are not in a position to endorse specific bids or act as their representatives.”

Hearts have rejected a “note of interest” from the Foundation of Hearts, the consortium led by Edinburgh businessman Alex Mackie, worth around £450,000.

Former Livingston owner, 
Angelo Massone, has also thrown his hat in the ring

Massone, whose disastrous 12-month reign in West Lothian brought the club to the brink of extinction, saw a £4.5 million bid for Hearts on behalf of his consortium of unnamed investors rejected on Monday.

Massone said: “[Supporters] should forget what happened at Livingston. At this moment I am only interested in football and I am leading a consortium of investors.

“I have been speaking with Supporters Direct for eight months with a view to being involved again in Scottish football but just in an organisation with supporters. My project is to buy one club, create a democratic board with supporters and, in three to five years, give the club 100 per cent to the supporters.”

Massone has confirmed that he is seeking face-to-face talks with Mackie, with a view to even becoming unlikely allies and submitting a joint bid.

The Italian lawyer added: “I ask publicly to speak to the Foundation of Hearts. It is important that the Foundation of Hearts can understand my plan before they say no, because my plan includes the supporters. After this maybe we can increase the offer.”

The Foundation of Hearts is understood to be in contact with Hearts director Sergejus Fedotovas directly and negotiations are continuing without Massone.

Mackie said yesterday: “We wouldn’t be meeting Mr 
Massone, that would be a distraction we simply do not want at this stage.

“We will liaise directly with the owners ourselves.”