Hearts transfer movements as the summer window opens in Scotland

The registration department at Hampden Park has received numerous submissions from Heart of Midlothian recently. More will filter through over the coming weeks as Hearts lodge multiple new signings with the Scottish Football Association. Scotland’s summer transfer window officially opens on Monday morning and the Tynecastle recruitment drive is motoring forward at pace. It will continue even as Derek McInnes leaves for Rangers.

Four signings are in place already and that number will reach a minimum six. There is every possibility that Hearts’ number of new faces will rise to seven, eight, nine, or perhaps even 10 by the time the summer window closes at 5pm on Thursday, 3 September. There will very likely also be one or two departures before then, but for now the club are busy with incoming business.

Already signed and sealed are winger Josh McPake from St Johnstone and defender MJ Kamson-Kamara from Lincoln City. Both signed pre-contract agreements with Hearts. Another winger, Calvin Miller, arrived from Falkirk in a six-figure transfer before French forward Amadou Ba-Sy also completed a six-figure move to Gorgie from Rouen. All four of those above are awaiting their registration confirmations from the SFA this week as none go through until the window opens.

Midfielder Tom Renaud, also a Frenchman, has agreed to join Hearts from Versailles, and English centre-back Malachi Fagan-Walcott is close to finalising a six-figure transfer from York City. Six new players will help replenish a squad which has lost captain Lawrence Shankland, midfielders Beni Baningime and Marc Leonard, plus defender Frankie Kent and winger Alan Forrest from last season. Winger Islam Chesnokov is edging nearer a move with former club Tobol Kostanay pursuing his signature. There there is the manager’s exit.

Hearts will also need another midfielder if the Australian internationalist Cammy Devlin does not agree a new deal. His contract expired at the end of the season and his representatives have been in talks with Tynecastle bosses about an extension. He also has interest from America and other British sides as he weighs up his future. Hearts put forward fresh terms in an effort to keep the popular Devlin in Edinburgh, but so far he has not signed.

Further into the transfer window, there is likely to be another forward arriving but that may require an exit first. Belgian striker Elton Kabangu arrived permanently from Union Saint Gilloise last summer but he spent most of last term largely out of favour under head coach Derek McInnes. He is one who will probably need to move on to play regular first team football during the 2026/27 campaign.

It also remains to be seen what the future holds for teenager James Wilson, who is back in Edinburgh after spending the second half of last season on loan at Tottenham Hotspur. Portuguese striker Claudio Braga won multiple Player of the Year awards after a superb first season in Scotland. He, Ba-Sy and the Burkina Faso internationalist Landry Kabore are the other attackers competing for places up front as things stand.