Michael Steinwender set to leave Hearts for a transfer profit
German clubs on the verge of a deal for the Austrian
Michael Steinwender is close to leaving Hearts following interest from Germany. Squad reshaping is continuing at Tynecastle Park this summer, with Steinwender in talks about a potential move to German second division club VFL Bochum. Hearts are set to make a profit on the six-figure fee they paid Swedish side IFK Varnamo for the defender 18 months ago.
Bochum have aspirations of pushing for promotion to the Bundesliga this season and see Steinwender as a player who can strengthen their defence. The 26-year-old’s contract in Edinburgh runs until 2028 but Hearts have received a good offer that could see him move on in the coming days.
The club have already released defenders Lewis Neilson and Frankie Kent, plus midfielder Beni Baningime and winger Alan Forrest following the end of the 2025/26 campaign. Midfielder Cammy Devlin has yet to officially decide whether to sign a new contract to stay at Hearts for next season. Captain Lawrence Shankland invoked a release clause in his contract to join Rangers at the end of May.
Steinwender’s departure, if finalised, would mean the Hearts defence taking on a very different look for next season. English centre-backs Malachi Fagan-Walcott and MJ Kamson-Kamara have arrived from York City and Lincoln City respectively. Dutch right-back Jordi Altena will hope to play more regularly in the months ahead after arriving in January from RKC Waalwijk.
Further forward, French midfielder Tom Renaud has committed his future to Hearts and is preparing to move to Scotland. Wingers Josh McPake and Calvin Miller have been signed from St Johnstone and Falkirk respectively. In attack, the imposing Frenchman Amadou Ba-Sy has arrived from Rouen.
As revealed earlier today, Hearts are close to signing another Frenchman. Winger Sabri Guendouz is in Edinburgh for a medical after a transfer fee of around £850,000 was agreed with his Belgian club, Beerschot. The 26-year-old has decided to leave Belgium for the chance to play top-flight football in Edinburgh. He is also attracted by the chance to play in Europe. Hearts begin their Champions League campaign in the second qualifying round against Sturm Graz next month. They have parachutes into the qualifying phases of the Europa League and Conference League if needed.
Guendouz can operate anywhere across the front line and featured mainly as a wide player for Beerschot. His club were beaten in the play-offs by Lommel SK last month and will remain in Belgium’s second tier for season 2026/27. They have an option to extend Guendouz’s contract beyond summer 2027 but have accepted the offer from Hearts.
Guendouz joined Beerschot a year ago from French Ligue 2 club Guingamp and, after a strong first season in Belgium, now looks set to move on. He scored three goals and claimed seven assists in 33 appearances this season. Provided there is no issue with his medical, he will put pen to paper on a long-term contract before being confirmed as the latest addition to the Hearts squad.