Aaron Hickey of Hearts linked with Man City as Pep Guardiola 'eyes £1.5m move'

Hearts left back Aaron Hickey has emerged as a target for Manchester City, according to reports.

Aaron Hickey in action for Hearts at Tynecastle

The teenage defender is understood to have caught Pep Guardiola’s attention during last season’s Scottish Cup Final after impressing against Celtic and Scotland winger James Forrest - and the English champions could test the waters with a £1.5 million bid in January, The Sun claims.

The Capital club have a good working relationship with the Citizens, having taken defender Ashley Smith-Brown on loan during the first half of the 2017/18 campaign, while Japanese youngster Ryotaro Meshino is set to complete a similar deal later this week having joined City from Gamba Osaka in his homeland earlier this summer.

The 17-year-old would likely join City’s development squad rather than the first-team ranks with a view to eventually making the step up.

Hickey has made five appearances for Craig Levein's side since breaking into the first team last season. A versatile player, he is capable of operating at full-back or in midfield, and has been capped at Under-17 level for Scotland.