French heavyweights Lyon are weighing up a move for Hearts star Claudio Braga, but any deal will require a sizeable bid.
The Ligue 1 side have identified the Portuguese forward as a key summer target after a stunning debut campaign at Tynecastle, where he swept up both the PFA Scotland and Scottish Football Writers’ Association Player of the Year awards.
According to Hearts Standard, Lyon have been tracking Braga closely as they look to reshape their attack this summer.
The French outfit are in the market for reinforcements following Endrick’s return to Real Madrid, while the sale of Afonso Moreira to Bayer Leverkusen has boosted their transfer funds by close to €30million.
Hearts are in a strong negotiating position. Braga only arrived last summer in a deal worth around £400,000 from Norwegian side Aalesunds, who retain a sell-on clause, and the Edinburgh club now value him between £8million and £10million. They are not expected to entertain offers below that bracket.
A sale in that region would represent a remarkable return on investment after just 12 months, particularly given Braga had no prior top-flight experience before his move to Scotland.
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The 26-year-old netted 14 goals in 44 appearances last season and quickly became a fan favourite thanks to his dynamic style and personality, which even inspired a terrace anthem among the Hearts support.
Interest from across Europe has been building, but Lyon are currently leading the race for a player who harbours ambitions of breaking into the Portugal national team.
Should a deal be struck, it could eclipse Hearts’ record sale, the £9million received for Craig Gordon’s move to Sunderland.
Braga’s potential exit would mark another significant blow to the core of last season’s title-challenging side. Lawrence Shankland has already joined Rangers, while Michael Steinwender is closing in on a switch to Germany’s second tier. Cammy Devlin also faces an uncertain future with his contract expiring this summer.
Several other first-team figures, including Frankie Kent, Alan Forrest, Beni Baningime and Lewis Neilson, have already departed, with Islam Chesnokov expected to follow.
Hearts have moved quickly to reshape the squad, securing five new arrivals so far, with Sabri Guendouz and Tom Renaud also set to join.
