Garang Kuol holds Hearts talks at Riccarton as Newcastle United listen to player's wishes

Garang Kuol has arrived in Edinburgh for talks with Hearts and was given a guided tour of the club’s training base this morning.

The Newcastle United forward is interested in a possible loan move to Scotland after Tynecastle officials put a proposal to their English Premier League counterparts. Kuol, 18, joined United officially on January 1 from Central Coast Mariners but manager Eddie Howe wants him to get more first-team experience.

Who is Garang Kuol? Video clips and all you need to know

Hearts are hopeful that Kuol’s arrival in the Capital gives them a chance to sway him towards accepting their offer. He was shown round the facilities at the Oriam Scotland complex where Hearts train and spoke with sporting director Joe Savage.

Newcastle are willing to listen to the player’s wishes regarding where he plays for the second half of the season, with Reading also interested in a loan deal. Kuol played for Australia at the recent World Cup in Qatar, where he was a team-mate of Hearts players Kye Rowles, Nathaniel Atkinson and Cammy Devlin.

The Edinburgh club hope that having three Socceroos already present in their squad can help them secure Kuol’s services until the end of the current campaign. They want a striker to strengthen their attack with last season's top goalscorer, Liam Boyce, sidelined with a cruciate ligament injury.

Kuol can play wide on the right flank or wide on the left and can also operate through the middle. He was a team-mate of Rowles at Central Coast Mariners last year and is regarded as one of Australia’s bright football prospects.