Hearts have been told by Hammarby that they will have to pay a compensation fee if they are to prize manager Marti Cifuentes away from the Swedish club.
The 40-year old is believed to be one of the front runners to replace Robbie Neilson in Gorgie, with Steven Naismith taking the reins until the end of the season when the Scot was sacked back in April.
Spaniard Cifuentes is believed to have held talks with the Jambos hierarchy at Tynecastle, with interim boss Naismith still hopeful that he can land the job on a full-time basis. But now Hammarby chief executive Richard von Yxkul has revealed that Cifuentes, who is under contract until December 2024, won't come cheap and that the Allsvenskan side are determined to fight tooth and nail to keep him.
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Speaking to Edinburgh Evening News, he said: "Sure, we want to keep him. He is our head coach and we have great co-operation with him. If they [Hearts] want him, of course I would have to discuss this with our board.
"It would depend on the will of Marti but right now we have no intention to part with Marti. We have 100 per cent confidence in him and we want to keep him as our head coach."
Asked on whether a six figure sum of cash would have to be paid to Hammarby in compensation, he replied: "If we were to end up in negotiation with another club, then yes. He is under contract with us."
Cifuentes, who previously managed AaB and Sandefjord in Denmark, was quizzed on his interest in the vacancy at Tynecastle, following his side's 0-0 draw with Halmstad on Sunday, but cooled any talk of a move to the capital.
He said: "I'm here. It is something that my agent is taking care of but I am under contract and want to get the best out of my players and to win games with Hammarby."
Meanwhile interim boss Naismith has taken the decision not to join up with Steve Clarke's Scotland squad for their EURO 2024 qualifying double header with Norway and Georgia later this month.
The former striker has been a part of Clarke's backroom team for the past two years, but will not make the trip to Murcia in Spain, where the squad will take part in a training camp before the two matches.
Naismith faces an anxious wait to see if he will be given the Hearts job on a permanent basis. Since taking over from Neilson in early April, he won two, drew four and lost two of his eight matches at the helm, as the Jambos lost out to Aberdeen in the race for third place in the Premiership.
However, his side were able to secure 4th spot with a goalless draw across the city against Hibernian, a result that saw them pip their rivals to the position, which will see Hearts enter the third round of qualifying for the UEFA Europa Conference League next season.
With the Gorgie side due to start pre-season on Tuesday, June 27, the club know they need to make a decision on their next manager as soon as possible, in order for him to make his own moves in the transfer market.
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