Hearts can make money on Armand Gnanduillet with clause in Le Mans agreement similar to Uche Ikpeazu deal

Two winning goals in his first two appearances brought Gnanduillet instant popularity in north west France following his arrival last month.

He was released by the Edinburgh club on a free transfer, allowing Le Mans to secure his services on an 18-month contract without payment changing hands. However, Hearts officials inserted clauses in the deal which could bring them future rewards.

Add-ons including a sell-on agreement were put in to ensure that, should Le Mans sell the player, some proceeds will filter back to Tynecastle Park. It is understood the sell-on fee would be 20 per cent.

Gnanduillet joined Hearts as a free agent in January 2021 but fell out of favour and moved back to France to play in the Championnat National – the third tier of the country's football system.

He hopes to revitalise his career there and potentially earn a move to a bigger league, either in Europe or the United Kingdom.

Other clubs are already monitoring the 29-year-old after an impressive start back in his homeland. He scored in 1-0 wins against Cholet and Avranches in his first two games for Le Mans before sustaining a minor injury.

Hearts structured the Gnanduillet deal similarly to that which allowed the former Tynecastle striker Uche Ikpeazu to join Wycombe Wanderers in August 2020.

Ikpeazu’s transfer also included a sell-on clause – in his case 30 per cent – earning the Edinburgh club a tidy six-figure sum when Wycombe sold him to Middlesbrough in a deal worth a total £1million last summer.