Steven Naismith still hopes to land Scott Fraser before the close of the transfer window. But the Hearts gaffer admits he’ll stay on the Charlton midfielder’s trail even if he can’t beat this month’s deadline.
Fraser’s proposed loan move to Tynecastle is currently on hold as Athletic hunt a successor for axed boss Michael Appleton. But Naismith is prepared to be patient on the 28-year-old, who remains in Scotland hoping the switch can happen before this window ends.
The Hearts boss said: “It’s not a reactive one, we’ve identified him as someone we were interested in last summer, he’s one we can bring in short-term and, hopefully, longer term. “Charlton are changing manager, which is making things much more difficult and awkward.
That’ll run as long as it does. Our hope is still we can sign him before the end of the window. If it happens now, great. If it doesn’t, we’ll see what happens in the summer. “It’s not one where we’re thinking: If we don’t get him signed by tomorrow, it’s not happening.