Marius Zaliukas seeks contract solution at Hearts

MARIUS Zaliukas intends to return to Edinburgh to resume contract negotiations with Hearts. Club sources suggested earlier this week that the centre-half's wage demands had put paid to his chances of a new deal, but, speaking in Lithuania yesterday, the Tynecastle captain insisted he had not given up hope.

"I read today on the internet stories about my future and I don't know where they are coming from," said Zaliukas, who is part of the Lithuania squad for tonight's Euro 2012 qualifier against Scotland. "For now I have to think only of Scotland and the Czech game. Then I will go back to Edinburgh and speak to the club.

"I have spoken to (Hearts owner] Mr Romanov while I was in Lithuania, but we haven't been able to sort out a solution. I will go back to Scotland after the Czech game and try to work it out."

Hearts believe that Zaliukas, who is on loan from Kaunas until the end of the year, has deliberately asked for an unrealistically high salary in a bid to engineer an exit from the club. If it is indeed the case that he wants out, it is unclear why he agreed to be appointed captain by manager Jim Jefferies just a few weeks ago - and why the club should have waited until the season began before calling the player to Lithuania for talks about a new deal.

For the time being, however, he insisted he was thinking only of tonight's match. "It's a special game for me and it's one I would like to win," he said. "I think this will not be a tactical, game but whoever is strongest will win.

"I saw Kenny Miller play against Hibs and he's playing well, but I think all the attackers for Scotland are a threat. Hopefully we will be good enough to win. Every game is important, but as this is the first one it has special meaning. We know the Scottish players. We know the players fight from the first to last minute."