HEARTS were today closing in on PSV Eindhoven defender Michael Lamey as manager George Burley prepared to welcome up to four new signings to Edinburgh before the weekend.

After the significant capture of Czech Republic midfielder Rudi Skacel last week, Burley has moved his recruitment procedures into overdrive and was preparing to unveil the powerful Lithuanian striker Edgaras Jankauskas at Tynecastle today.

Discussions are also moving positively with the Czech attacking pair of Michal Pospisil and Roman Bednar, and they could be paraded in maroon along with 25-year-old Lamey before Saturday's season-opening encounter at Kilmarnock.

Lamey is a product of the celebrated youth system at Ajax and also played for AZ Alkmaar In Holland. He has recently returned with PSV from the pre-season Peace Cup in Japan.

The Dutchman is a versatile defender who can operate along the back four or as a holding midfielder, and is a player much in the same mould as the Australian Patrick Kisnorbo, who left Hearts in January to join Craig Levein at Leicester City.

Burley has been aware since his own initiation at Tynecastle four weeks ago of the club's desperate need to supplement their attack, and the prospect of four new signings for the new season remains a realistic possibility for the new manager.

Lamey would provide options both at the rear and centre of Burley's carefully pieced-together jigsaw, and the signing of Jankauskas along with Pospisil and Bednar would allow him three quality forwards to utilise.

Jankauskas was due to have his Hearts medical this morning, but discussions with the two Czechs are not yet at a sufficiently advanced stage for them to be examined by the Tynecastle doctor.

Hearts chief executive Phil Anderton, who is frantically attempting to negotiate contracts with all four players, said discussions with Lamey were "reasonably well progressed".

He added: "There is a lot of hard work being done, assessing the areas we need to strengthen. We are not rushing into anything just because it's the first game of the season on Saturday.

"It is important that we get the right players. We unveiled one player last week, who is top quality, and we will be unveiling a number of other players this week.

"Our intention is that this is a rebuilding of the whole squad, and that does not happen in a few weeks. The striker situation is very important because we only have Dennis Wyness at the moment with Graham Weir injured, so to get three strikers in would be very encouraging."

Hearts do retain an interest in their former captain, Colin Cameron, but a deal to bring the Wolves midfielder back to Tynecastle remains distant, his inflated wages at Molineux being a major factor.

Anderton added: "There are quite a few players whose names are in the frame at the minute, some closer than others.

"I've heard about Colin Cameron. It depends on what happens with other players, but I wouldn't say we are signing Colin Cameron.

"That would be a bit off the mark. Interest has been raised, let's put it that way."

Taken from the Scotsman