LEVEIN: LAFF NOT GONE YET
CRAIG LEVEIN insists Kyle Lafferty leaving Hearts for Rangers is “not inevitable” after admitting a deal to take him back is still being thrashed out by the clubs.
The Tynecastle boss confirmed Record Sport’s exclusive the clubs had reopened talks over the Northern Irishman.
Rangers have already had a £200,000 bid knocked back while this week Hearts also rejected a cashplus-player offer believed to involve Lee Wallace.
Tynecastle chiefs are still believed to be holding out for £750,000 for the 30-yearold who is out of contract at the end of the season.
But Levein refused to divulge any more details as he insisted he’d not already accepted the player was off.
The Jambos manager said: “We are still talking. There is nothing more I can say at this moment in time.
“The dialogue has been
sporadic. I don’t want to go into any details but I am not resigned to losing him.
“I am keeping people up to speed just to inform them the Lafferty deal is not dead.
“We’re in discussions all the time. Obviously the situation is not of our making and we’ll see what happens.
“There’s no point in me going over any details. Things are ongoing.”
Asked if Wallace moving back to Tynecastle formed any part of the deal Levein added: “I don’t want to say anything else.”
Lafferty has 20 goals in 47 Hearts appearances and is reputedly keen on a return to his former club.
The striker scored the winner in last weekend’s 1-0 result against Celtic.
Levein said: “He seems happy enough. I’ve not had any problems with him.
“He certainly looked to be smiling on Saturday anyway, that’s for sure.”