Hearts put £3m price tag on Berra

BARRY ANDERSON
HEARTS will not allow Christophe Berra to leave for anything less than £3 million as Premier League clubs Sunderland, Everton and Fulham continue to monitor the Tynecastle captain.
Berra is contracted to Hearts until 2011 and club officials have confirmed there is no desperate need to sell any player during the current transfer window.

Andy Driver is on the radar of Dynamo Kiev although no bid has been received for the Englishman. The Evening News has learned that he would be reluctant to move to the Ukrainian league despite the prospect of Champions League football next season. Sunderland have the wherewithal to meet Hearts' asking price for Berra as they seek a solution to their defensive injury problems. The Black Cats have already dismissed the prospect of a move for Bolton Wanderers' Danny Shittu on the grounds of his £20,000 a week salary.

They have yet to make any official contact regarding Berra but Vladimir Romanov is determined not to undersell any of his charges and will expect £3m for the Scotland internationalist.

Csaba Laszlo, the Hearts manager, is also working on potential incomings before the transfer window closes and is still seeking a proven goalscorer.

"I have three good names but it is not easy to get these players," he said. "We must think globally too. We have not sold anyone so we must look at how big our squad is. If it is possible and we can get these players we must do something. It is difficult for me to talk about players who have a contract with another club but definitely we have a lot of names."

Negotiations on goalkeeper Janos Balogh's contract carried on into the evening yesterday, but both Hearts and the player's representatives are confident of concluding a deal.

Taken from the Scotsman