Donis Avdijaj due in Edinburgh for talks with Hearts
Donis Avdijaj is due to fly to Edinburgh for face-to-face talks with Hearts in the next 48 hours.
Tynecastle officials are closing in on the Kosovo international forward and hope to complete his signing next week. However, clubs in Turkey, Portugal and Germany are also interested.
Avdijaj agreed to terminate his contract at Turkish club Trabzonspor on Friday and is interested in a move to Scotland. The Hearts manager Daniel Stendel knows the German-born player from his time at Schalke 04 and wants to add his pace to his attack.
The Edinburgh club are ready to make Avdijaj a lucrative contract offer to help him rebuild his career after a disappointing time in Turkey. He joined Trabzonspor last July on a one-year deal with the option to extend for a further three years, but that agreement has been ripped up after just six months.
Hearts accelerated their efforts to bring the 23-year-old to Tynecastle on Friday night and hope the latest round of talks will lead to Stendel announcing his first signing in the coming days.
Avdijaj normally operates wide on the left flank but can also play on the right or as a second striker. He emerged from the Schalke youth system before spells at Sturm Graz in Austria and the Dutch sides Roda JC and Willem II.
Liverpool were previously credited with an interest in him after he struck 59 goals in 53 games at under-17 level for Schalke. Reports in Germany then claimed a £41million release clause was inserted in his Schalke contract.
Avdijaj represented Germany at under-16, under-17 and under-19 level before switching his international allegiance to Kosovo in 2016. He has appeared six times for the Balkan nation to date.