Hearts set for busy summer of transfers as Ann Budge reveals plan to 'become a big club in Europe'

While others focus on packing the suncream and flip flops ahead of their summer excursion, at Hearts it is all about squeezing in as much quality as possible as they plot next term’s travels.

Determined to build on the past season, which saw them scale the heights in the league and progress to the final of the Scottish Cup, work is already well underway on a busy summer of transfer activity.

Manager Robbie Neilson will need to find a replacement for Scotland defender John Souttar and there is work to be done in other areas as he addresses the voids left by key on-loan contributors like Ellis Simms and Alex Cochrane. Along with Taylor Moore and Ben Woodburn, their deals have expired and whether they return to Tynecastle for the new campaign depends on their parent clubs.

While negotiations will be ongoing, Hearts cannot afford to wait around too long as Neilson tries to build a squad capable of maintaining and actually improving on the standards set domestically and also finding their feet on the European stage as they push towards their long-term goals.

But he will have the practical and financial backing of the club’s hierarchy who recognise the need to push forward rather than rest on their laurels.

“Until now, we have been fixing the infrastructure and the underlying business issues while trying to keep the football going,” admitted chairwoman Ann Budge. “Whereas now we can focus on the number one priority which is how we help the men’s and the women’s first teams really succeed and reach heights we’ve not done for a long time. I am really excited about that.

“We still have to take a long-term view but our goal is different. We have come such a long way and it is no longer about survival, as a club, or survival in