LEWIS NEILSON will be leaving Dundee United after rejecting contract offers, the club have confirmed.
The 19-year-old is an academy graduate who has been at Tannadice for almost 10 years and recently broke into the first-team over the past two seasons.
It had been previously reported by Edinburgh Evening News that Hearts had opened contract talks with the defender as they knew he was coming to the end of his deal.
Neilson can play right-back and centre-back, and has been capped internationally at under-16 and under-17 levels.
United wanted to tie him down but a deal could not be agreed between both parties.
United’s Sporting Director Tony Asghar said: "We have been in discussions with Lewis Neilson and his representatives since September and made him a concrete contract offer in February.
"These discussions were ongoing until Lewis rejected our final offer this week. He will now be leaving the Club.
"Lewis was with us for almost a decade and progressed through our academy to make the breakthrough into the first team over the last two seasons.
"We wish him the very best in the next stage of his career."