Former Hearts favourite on verge of big-money move a year after leaving Tynecastle

Former Hearts striker Ellis Simms is on the verge of completing an £8 million move to Coventry City, according to our sister paper the Sunderland Echo.

The 22-year-old is expected to undergo a medical today with the transfer potentially being finalised before the weekend. The fee will be smaller initially but could rise as high as the £8m figure through further instalments and add-ons.

Coventry narrowly missed out on promotion to the top flight of English football at the end of last season, losing to Luton Town in the play-off final, and are expected to fund the move for Simms through selling their star striker Viktor Gyokeres, who is set to join Sporting Lisbon for a fee in the region of £20m.

Simms spent the first half of last season at Sunderland before being recalled by Everton in the January transfer window. He would lead the line for the Toffees in the Merseyside derby and netted his first EPL goal with a late equaliser in a match against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. The Merseyside club narrowly avoided relegation to the Championship, finishing one place and two points above the drop zone.

Ellis Simms celebrates after scoring against Hibs in Hearts' Scottish Cup semi-final victory at Hampden. Picture: SNS

Simms spent the second half of the 2021/22 campaign on loan at Hearts after joining in the January transfer window. He scored seven goals in 21 games, most notably opening the scoring in the all-Edinburgh Scottish Cup semi-final as Robbie Neilson’s side defeated Hibs at Hampden Park. He would also play in the final against Rangers but missed a first-half opportunity as Hearts ultimately went on to lose the game 2-0 after extra-time.