Hearts get their eighth new signing of the summer as transfer talks end in a deal before Rangers game

Hearts have completed their eighth new signing of the summer with the arrival of midfielder Malachi Boateng from Crystal Palace. Talks throughout the last 10 days reached a successful conclusion to bring the 22-year-old to Edinburgh in a six-figure transfer deal, and he is on the substitutes’ bench for this afternoon’s opening Premiership match against Rangers.

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The Glasgow club visit Tynecastle Park as the 2024/25 campaign kicks off, and Boateng is now confirmed as a Hearts player on a three-year contract. Tynecastle management identified him to solve a short-term defensive midfield problem with Beni Baningime and Calem Nieuwenhof both out injured.

Boateng was born in London and is a product of the Crystal Palace youth system. He spent season 2022/23 on loan at Queen’s Park and made 41 appearances, scoring three goals. Last season brought another loan move to Dundee, where he played 36 times and drew attention from a number of admirers.

One of those was the Hearts head coach Steven Naismith. With Baningime and Nieuwenhof not fit enough for the start of the new campaign, he moved to bring Boateng north for a third spell in Scottish football. The London-born player joins Ryan Fulton, Gerald Taylor, Daniel Oyegoke, James Penrice, Yan Dhanda, Blair Spittal and Musa Drammeh as the summer recruits in Gorgie.

Naismith explained to the Hearts website why he wanted Boateng. “I’m pleased we’ve been able to get the deal done and bring Malachi in,” he said. “We’ve done the bulk of our recruitment early but we’re always assessing our differing requirements, and with a couple of players out through injury it’s pushed us to act swiftly.

“In Malachi we’ve got a strong, athletic, ball-winning and ball-playing midfielder. He’s also somebody who has good knowledge of Scottish football through his loan spells here. He’ll fit in well to our dressing room, I’m sure, and I’m looking forward to working with him as we focus on starting the season positively.”

Hearts are also working on a potential ninth summer signing in the shape of the Colombian international left-back Andrés Salazar. Talks are at an advanced stage to bring him to Gorgie.