Hearts move to sign three new players ahead of summer window

Hearts have made offers for three new players ahead of the summer transfer window, manager Craig Levein has revealed.

The Jambos boss said two weeks ago that he wanted “between seven and 10” new players this summer, and has already made enquiries with seven games still to go in the Ladbrokes Premiership season.

It has been a rocky campaign for Hearts, who sacked Ian Cathro at the start of August and have had to contend with playing several games away from home while the new stand at Tynecastle was built.

Craig Levein is looking to get a lot of the transfer work done early. Picture: SNS

Levein was brought in to stabilise the squad, and despite leading them to sixth in the table ahead of the split, he remains keen to overhaul his squad and has already taken steps ahead of the summer window.

“We have made offers for three different players already,” he revealed.

“I’m hoping to get four or five done fairly early and then have time to see how that looks and then we will bring in two or three others in come mid-July/August.

“Things are going on behind the scenes. We are working away and we are trying to get some business done as soon as possible.”

Craig Levein is looking to get a lot of the transfer work done early. Picture: SNS

The three players in question are understood to not currently be at the club, though Levein admits he is keen to secure the full-time signatures of three loanees - two of which are Steven Naismith and Joaquim Adao, who both impressed in the recent 3-0 win over Partick Thistle.

The long-term future of the current Hearts squad remains unclear, with players such as Jon McLaughlin and Prince Buaben out of contract at the end of the season and no decisions imminent.

Whilst admitting he would like to make Adao’s move from FC Sion permanent, Levein admits it will be difficult.

“I would like to keep him, there are three of the loan players I would like to definitely keep, but that involves me not just discussing with Joaquim,” he said ahead of his side’s trip to Dundee on Sunday.

“There are agents involved and also his parent club.

“That conversation isn’t straightforward, there are other factors involved and one of them is financial.”

He added: “Financially things are tight because of what we’re spending on the stand at the moment.

“Finishing in the top six, we will get more money than we would do if we weren’t, so the focus is to do that and to make things as easy as possible for Ann (chairwoman Ann Budge) when we sit down with the budget.”