Hearts are looking to do a deal for Australia wonderkid Garang Kuol and here is a glimpse of what he has to offer.
The former Central Coast Mariners star has penned a deal with mega-rich English Premier League outfit Newcastle United and officially joined on January 1. Boss Eddie Howe is keen for the the youngster to go out on loan and gain valuable first-team experience in European football and his destination could well be Tynecastle with the attacker currently in Gorgie.
He's been snapped getting a guided tour of the training facilities at the Oriam with his representatives by Sporting Director Joe Savage as Robbie Neilson bids to boost his attacking options in his quest to finish third spot in the Scottish Premiership for the second consecutive season and secure another European adventure after group stage football in the Europa Conference League. Clubs south of the border are also believed to be keen on the player but he is currently in Edinburgh.
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Graham Arnold included him in his World Cup squad alongside his potential new Hearts team-mates and the likes of former Rangers and Hibs star Jason Cummings. He featured twice off the bench against heavyweights France and Argentina - with the latter going on to defeat Les Blues in the final to lift the trophy.
Hearts fans may not know too much about the potential arrival. He scored two goals and contributed three assists in eight A-League outings before his departure. His strikes came in a five-goal thriller with his second goal particularly catching the eye. The Jambos faithful will be hoping to see similar if he completes a move from the Toon Army for the remainder of the season.
Speaking previously about his plans for Kuol, Howe said: "I do think that for the player’s development, he needs to go and play.
“If possible, that would be at a very good level, with a good club and a good coach. That’s not a decision that’s been made currently, so we’ll have to assess what all of our options are.”
Neilson - who confirmed the Jambos' interest - added: "He's a player we're interested in so he came up for a look around with his agent. He's got a number of clubs that are very interested in him. He's a huge prospect.
"He's one we've known about for quite a long time because he comes from the same team as Kye Rowles was at. The opportunity came to speak to him so we brought him up and we'll see where it goes. It's still at the very early stages.
"It will depend what other clubs are in for him. We'd love to get him here but we'll just have to wait and see because he's an 18-year-old who has been playing at the World Cup so I'm sure there will be a lot of suitors."
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