Hearts in negotiations with Loic Damour about a deal for him to leave Tynecastle

Hearts are negotiating Loic Damour’s potential exit from Tynecastle Park following an offer from the French club Le Mans.

Loic Damour could leave Hearts in the near future.

The midfielder wants to leave to restart his career in his homeland and is in talks with senior Hearts officials about a deal which would let him move on.

As revealed by the Evening News on Tuesday, Le Mans proposed a season-long loan with a possible free transfer next summer which could save the Edinburgh club £100,000 in wages. Damour still has two years left on his contract and is one of the highest-paid players in Gorgie.

He is out of favour having not appeared for the first team since March 2020 and is willing to join part-time Le Mans in the third tier of French football in order to get playing again.

“We are still talking to him about trying to get something sorted,” Hearts manager Robbie Neilson told the Evening News. “Loic wants to go and play. We spoke to him about that and I want for him to go and play as well.

“There is an offer there and we are just trying to get things done. It will come down to both clubs and the player to see if we can get things moving.”

Le Mans are offering Damour regular game time and a fresh start after a difficult time in Scotland. They are unable to contribute a significant amount of money to his salary due to their part-time status.

Under the terms of their proposal, Hearts would still pay most of the 30-year-old’s wages for the next 12 months and then release him from the final year of his contract next summer.

Tynecastle officials would prefer a permanent transfer now but the player’s lack of competitive action has put potential suitors off.

Damour was signed from Cardiff City by former Hearts manager Craig Levein in August 2019. He put pen to paper on a lucrative four-year deal and has made 21 appearances in maroon.

Despite performing well in Hearts’ pre-season friendlies this summer, he has been overlooked since competitive action began in the Premier Sports Cup. He is not expected to be involved when the cinch Premiership campaign starts against Celtic on Saturday.

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