Hearts boss Jim Jefferies admits he would be interested in a move to bring Paul Hartley back to the club.
Hearts boss considers midfield options
Hearts boss Jim Jefferies admits he would be interested in a move to bring Paul Hartley back to the club.
Homesick Hartley looks set to leave Bristol City after being left out of their pre-season tour of Sweden following talks with manager Steve Coppell.
The 33-year-old, who signed a two-year deal with the Robins last summer, is keen to return to Scotland and has already expressed a desire to make Tynecastle his destination.
But Jefferies has also been linked with a return to former club Kilmarnock to sign Craig Bryson as he seeks a goalscoring midfielder and is keen to look at the bigger picture before making any moves.
"I know all about Paul's situation," Jefferies told Hearts' official website.
"We're not going to say whether a deal will be done quickly or not.
Enquiries
"We just hope that some of the enquiries that we have made, not just for Paul, but other players, that we see where we'll stand and we'll make our moves then when we know the positions for everybody."
Hartley scored 38 goals for Hearts before moving to Celtic in January 2007 and Jefferies believes he can still perform an attacking role despite being utilised in a deeper position at Parkhead.
Jefferies added: "You can have plenty of midfield players but it's not midfield players of the same type you want. It's something that little bit different.
"We might have two or three who can get about the midfield and sit and pass it, or get it back. I don't think we have too many who can get beyond. It's got to be someone of that type.
"Paul Hartley used to do that when he played here and he was a danger. When he went to Celtic and even with Scotland, he was asked to do a more sitting role.
"We're well aware of what he can do but there are others in the frame and other enquiries that we've made that we'll not say anything about until we find out if it's possible.
"If it's not possible, we'll find out who is and will decide if it's the right move for us, both financially and team-wise."
