Edinburgh club want to keep the former Rangers and Livingston defender

Hearts intend to offer Craig Halkett a new contract as reward for becoming one of the team’s mainstays again this season. The Edinburgh News has learned that initial talks have already taken place and there is a will on both sides to reach an agreement, with Halkett’s existing deal due to expire at the end of the campaign.

The defender has started every league match so far this term under new Hearts head coach Derek McInnes. His performances were integral to the club’s rise to the top of the Premiership, and he enjoyed the added bonus of scoring in recent wins over Falkirk and Hibs. Supporters will be pleased to learn that Tynecastle officials have no intention of losing him.

Further discussions will take place in the near future in an effort to finalise a new contract which would keep 30-year-old Halkett in Gorgie on a longer-term basis. His central defensive partnership with Stuart Findlay is flourishing, highlighted by three successive clean sheets against Rangers, Falkirk and Hibs. Findlay is on loan from Oxford United and is another player expected to hold talks regarding a longer stay with Hearts.

Keeping Halkett is one of the club’s priorities at the moment. His return to prominence this season follows three injury-interrupted years, during which the player thought he may need to leave Tynecastle to play regularly. He managed only eight appearances in season 2022/23, then 11 outings in 2023/24, and finished with 21 games in 2024/25. He told the Edinburgh News back in May that he wondered if his time in maroon might be drawing to a close as he struggled to regain a regular starting place.

“I had to have conversations with the coaching staff to say that I wasn't just happy sitting here in the bench. I wanted to fight for my place and, when the opportunity came, I said I wanted to take it,” explained Halkett. “I wasn't going to be one of those players that would just sit there and sit on the bench and, if I wasn't playing, I was just going to stay.

“Some people might think you're sitting at Hearts and they are a massive club and you're happy just to stay here. Well, it wasn't me. I wanted to play football, especially after the last few years I've had since I've had my knee injury. Playing football was so important to me. I remember it looked for a period that I wasn't going to be at Hearts but, basically, I've got my head down and I've worked hard.”

He shed nearly five kilograms in weight during the summer and returned for pre-season training determined to make an impact under McInnes. Halkett quickly became a linchpin of a new-look Hearts defence, scoring four goals in 11 appearances in all competitions this term. His average rating across seven league matches is 7.64 - boosted by scores of 7.8 against Rangers, 8.5 against Falkirk and 8.8 against Hibs. He also has overall 89 per cent passing accuracy.