Yan Dhanda agrees Hearts deal with a quick transfer possible for the Ross County midfielder

The Tynecastle club are moving as the January window nears a close

Yan Dhanda has agreed a pre-contract move to Hearts from Ross County and has an outside chance of joining the Tynecastle club before Thursday's transfer deadline.

The 25-year-old negotiated terms on a long-term deal which will take effect this summer when his contract at County expires. With that in place, Hearts will now endeavour to bring him to Edinburgh this week.

Ross County are reluctant to do business and sell one of their most influential players whilst fighting relegation from the Premiership. Hearts will not pay a huge fee for a player they have already secured for free ahead of season 2024/25.

The County manager Derek Adams has publicly stressed his wish to keep Dhanda until the end of the season. "We want to keep him, and we will keep him in this transfer window unless someone pays money that we think is acceptable," he said just last week. "From our point of view, he’s a player that I like watching in training and playing, and we want to keep him."

Hearts, though, are exploring the possiblity of signing Dhanda before the transfer window closes at 11.30pm on Thursday, 1 February. If a quick deal cannot be agreed, they will wait until pre-season to add his creative talents to their squad.

The Edinburgh club are also hoping a loan deal for Charlton Athletic's Scott Fraser can be done before the deadline. That requires Charlton to sign off on the agreement, but after sacking manager Michael Appleton there is an element of uncertainty at the London club.