Hearts will only consider selling star man Claudio Braga if the bidding starts at £8 million. Reports in France have claimed that Lyon are in talks over a deal for the Premiership Player of the Year. However, Record Sport understands that Jamestown Analytics has valued Braga at between £8m and £10m, and the club will only consider doing business at that price.
Braga's Impact at Tynecastle
The Portuguese was a revelation in his first season at Tynecastle, scooping multiple Player of the Year awards. After losing Lawrence Shankland to Rangers this summer, fans will be reluctant to see Braga depart after such an impressive debut season in Scotland. But the Jambos are determined to rake in big bucks for the player they bagged from the Norwegian second tier last summer for £400k.
Interest in Koen Kostons
The league runners up will be looking to bring in another striker regardless, and PEC Zwolle hitman Koen Kostons is interesting them, according to a report. The 26-year-old netted 11 goals in 34 outings for the Eredivisie outfit last season, along with laying on six assists for his teammates. The Dutch frontman only joined Zwolle from 2. Bundesliga side SC Paderborn last summer, although he spent the second part of the season on loan at Kortrijk.
Kostons still has three years left on his deal with Zwolle, and De Stentor are reporting that the Jambos would need to fork out around €1.5 million to take him to Gorgie. The club's technical director Gerry Hamstra admitted that he expects some movement on Kostons this summer, although he didn't mention any names. He said: "There is slight interest; something is going to happen."
Incoming Manager Connection
Incoming Hearts manager Wouter Vrancken will be aware of Kostons from his time in Belgium. The 47-year-old played for and was assistant boss at Kortrijk, and will have come up against the player during his time as Sint-Truiden manager last season in the Belgian Pro League. Record Sport told on Monday that Vrancken came out on top after sporting director Graeme Jones and chairman Calum Paterson spent last week interviewing candidates to replace Derek McInnes in the Tynecastle hotseat.
Former AZ Alkmaar head coach Maarten Martens and Feyenoord No. 2 Rene Hake were also considered, but Vrancken will be the man to lead the club into next month's Champions League qualifiers, providing there are no unforeseen hitches in sealing his switch to Edinburgh.
