STUART BATHGATE

PAUL Hartley looks set to follow Mark de Vries and Alan Maybury out of Tynecastle provided Celtic meet the Hearts board’s valuation of him. The midfield playmaker scored the equaliser in Hearts’ 2-1 victory at Livingston last night, and his manager John Robertson, admitted he may not be able to hold on to the player.

The other John Robertson, Celtic’s assistant manager, was at Almondvale to watch Hartley, whose impressive displays throughout the season have brought him to the verge of a Scotland call-up. Martin O’Neill has made an informal inquiry to his counterpart at Hearts, and provided he can back that up with hard cash he should get his man by the time the transfer window closes at midnight on Monday. A £300,000 fee has been mooted.

John Robertson - the Hearts head coach - admitted that, while desperate to hang on to Hartley, he might be able to prevent the player from fulfilling his ambition of playing for the club he has always supported. "Paul is priceless," Robertson said. "We can understand why there is interest from Celtic and others. We also understand why it may be his dream to play for Celtic, but we’re desperate to keep him.

"We had a wee chat, and he told me his thoughts and I told him mine. It’s out both of our hands until Celtic make a bid. I’m sure our board will put a valuation on him, and if Celtic meet that he may go with our best wishes. But we do not want to lose him."

Hartley has 18 months of his current deal to run, and Hearts are willing to offer him an extension of his contract. It may be too late, though. "It’s not every day that Celtic come knocking," Hartley said. "Obviously you want to play at the top. He [Robertson] wants to be a top manager and he knows I want to be a top player.

"I’m fairly happy at Hearts and I’ve got 18 months of my contract left. I know Celtic have got really good players and it would be difficult to get into their team if I went there. But if you get the chance it’s something you’ve got to think about."

The initial contact between the clubs was made when Robertson phoned O’Neill to ask if any players would be available on loan. O’Neill got back to inquire about Hartley, and matters appear to have moved quickly thereafter.

Last night, Hearts’ winning goal was scored by Lee Miller, a recent recruit on loan from Bristol City, and there were debuts last night for two young substitutes, the Lithuanian midfielder Saulius Mikoliunas and the Icelandic striker Halvar Thorarinsson. But it seems as fast as Robertson tries to strengthen his squad, his efforts are undermined by predators from elsewhere.

Taken from the Scotsman