Hearts have been given a boost over their pursuit of Sammy Silvera after Central Coast Mariners owner Richard Peil admitted that he would not stand in the forward’s way of a move abroad.
However, Peil believes another season in the A-League would help the 22-year-old fulfil a dream of playing for Australia.
Hearts have already had a six-figure bid turned down by the Mariners and face competition for the London-born player's signature from Middlesbrough, Plymouth and teams in Asia.
But Peil insists he would allow Silvera, who has two years remaining on his deal, to leave if the price was right.
He said: “There has been a lot of interest in Sammy - and justifiably so - from multiple clubs in both the UK and Asia.
“There have been several concrete offers to go along with that but nothing has been decided yet.
“Personal success gets players noticed and Sammy deserves the attention, and as a club we’re not surprised either.
“His class was there for all to see at the back end of the season, and of course in the grand final, and it’s no shock that the phone has been ringing off the hook to ask about him.
“We are not in the business of standing in the way of players if they really want to go elsewhere to help their career.
“However, I genuinely feel Sammy would benefit greatly from another year in the A-League.
“There’s a fine line there sometimes. He’s been overseas before and returned home to kick start things again.
"He knows he’s going to play regularly here where he would benefit greatly from another year under the guidance of Monty (Nick Montgomery) and Serg (Sérgio Raimundo).”
Peil also believes under-23 cap Silvera can force his way into the national team by remaining Down Under.
He added: “He wants to be a part of the Socceroos and I’d imagine he’s pretty close to realising that dream.
“But to do that it’s crucial to be playing each week. The thing about going overseas is that there is always the risk of perhaps spending more time on the bench than in the starting line up - and that’s where timing and finding the right club becomes crucial.
“I personally feel Sammy will be better placed to get that national team breakthrough if he remains with us for another season.”
Hearts are keen to strengthen in attack with Josh Ginnelly stalling on signing fresh terms at Tynecastle.
Steven Naimsith’s side have also been linked with Japanese winger Kanji Okunuki.
